AN ISLAND STORY 



TO 



SPEN AND VEDA 




CHARLES THE KING WALKED FOR THE LAST TIME THROUGH THE 
STREETS OP LONDON" 



AN 
ISLAND STORY 

A CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND 
BY H. E. MARSHALL 

WITH PICTURES 

BY A. S. FORREST 



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FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

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Edinburgh : Printed by T. and A, Constabi.K 



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HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE WRITTEN 

' What a funny letter, Daddy,' said Spen, as he looked 
at the narrow envelope which had just arrived, and 
listened to the crackle of the thin paper. 

* Do you think so ? ' said Daddy. ' It is from home.' 

' From home ! ' said Spen, laughing, ' why. Daddy, 
this is home.' 

' I mean from the old country, Spen.' 

'The old country. Daddy?' said Veda, leaving her 
dolls and coming to lean against her father's knee, ' the 
old country ? What do you mean ? ' 

' 1 mean " the little island in the west " to which we 
belong, and where I used to live,' said Daddy. 

' But this is an island, a great big one, Mother says, 
so how can we belong to a little island ? ' asked Spen. 

* Well, we do — at least, the big island and the little 
island belong to each other.' 

' Oh, Daddy, do 'splain yourself, you are not 'splaining 
yourself at all,' said Veda. 

' Well,' said Daddy with a sigh, *long, long ago ' 



Q>f 



vi OUR ISLAND STORY 

* Oh I ' said Speii, ' it 's a story,' and he settled himself 
to listen. 

*Yes,' said Daddy, 'it's a story, and a very long one, 
too. I think I must ask some one else to tell it to you.' 

And Daddy did ask some one else, and here is 
the story as it was told to Spen and Veda. I hope it 
will interest not only the children in this big island, 
but some of the children in *the little island in the 
west,' too. 

I must tell you, though, that this is not a history 
lesson, but a story-book. There are many facts in school 
histories, that seem to children to belong to lessons only. 
Some of these you will not find here. But you will find 
some stories that are not to be found in your school 
books, — stories which wise people say are only fairy- 
tales and not history. But it seems to me that they are 
part of Our Island Story, and ought not to be forgotten, 
any more than those stories about which there is no 
doubt. 

So, although I hope you will not put this book 
beside your school books, but quite at the other end of 
the shelf, beside Robinson Crusoe and A Noah's Ark 
Geography, I hope, too, that it will help you to like 
your school history books better than ever, and that, 
when you grow up, you will want to read for your- 
selves the beautiful big histories which have helped 
me to write this little book for little people. 

Then, when you find out how much has been left 



OUR ISLAND STORY vii 

untold in this little book, do not be cross, but remember 
that, when you were very small, you would not have 
been able to understand things that seem quite simple 
and very interesting to you as you grow older. Re- 
member, too, that I was not trying to teach you, but 
only to tell a story. 

H. E. MARSHALL. 

Melbourne. 



CONTENTS 



I. THE STORIES OF ALBION AND BRUTUS, . 
II. THE COMING OF THE ROMANS, . 

III. THE ROMANS COME AGAIN, 

IV. HOW CALIGULA CONQUERED BRITAIN, AND HOW 

CARACTACUS REFUSED TO BE CONQUERED, 

V. THE STORY OF A WARRIOR QUEEN, 

VI. THE LAST OF THE ROMANS, 

VII. THE STORY OF ST. ALBAN, .... 

VIH. VORTIGERN AND KING CONSTANS, 

IX. THE STORY OF THE COMING OF HENGIST AND HORSA 

X. HENGIST'S TREACHERY, .... 

XI. THE STORY OF HOW THE GIANTS DANCE WAS 
BROUGHT TO BRITAIN, .... 

XII. THE COMING OF ARTHUR, .... 

XIII. THE FOUNDING OF THE ROUND TABLE, 

XIV. THE STORY OF GREGORY AND THE PRETTY CHIL- 

DREN, 

XV. HOW KING ALFRED LEARNED TO READ, 

XVI. KING ALFRED IN THE COWHERD'S COTTAGE, . 

XVII. MORE ABOUT ALFRED THE GREAT, 

XVIII. ETHELRED THE UNREADY, .... 

XIX. HOW EDMUND IRONSIDE FOUGHT FOR THE CROWN, 

XX. CANUTE AND THE WAVES, 



1 
5 

10 

13 
17 
22 
26 
31 
36 
41 

45 
51 
54 

58 

64 
68 

73 
77 
81 
85 



OUR ISLAND STORY 



PAGB 



XXI. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, .... 88 
XXII. HAROLD, 94 

XXIII. THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE, . . 101 

XXIV. THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS, . . . .108 
XXV. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR— THE STORY OF HERE- 
WARD THE WAKE, ..... 115 

XXVI. THE DEATH OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, . 121 

XXVII. THE STORY OF WILLIAM THE RED, . . .125 

XXVIIL HENRY I.— THE STORY OF THE 'WHITE SHIP,' . 129 

XXIX. THE STORY OF KING STEPHEN, . . .137 

XXX. HENRY PLANTAGENET— THE STORY OF GILBERT 

AND ROHESIA, 141 

XXXI. HENRY PLANTAGENET— THE STORY OF THOMAS 

A BECKET, 145 

XXXII. HENRY PLANTAGENET— THE STORY OF THE CON- 
QUEST OF IRELAND, 152 

XXXIII. THE STORY OF RICHARD C(EUR DE LION, . . 166 

XXXIV. RICHARD C(EUR DE LION— THE STORY OF HOW 

BLONDEL FOUND THE KING, . . .162 

XXXV. JOHN LACKLAND— THE STORY OF PRINCE ARTHUR, 168 
XXXVI. JOHN LACKLAND— THE STORY OF THE GREAT 

CHARTER, 171 

XXXVII. HENRY III. OF WINCHESTER — THE STORY OF 

HUBERT DE BURGH, 179 

XXXVIH. HENRY IIL OF WINCHESTER — THE STORY OF 

SIMON DE MONTFORT, . . . .184 

XXXIX. HENRY IIL —THE STORY OF THE POISONED 

DAGGER, ....... 189 

XL. EDWARD I.— THE LITTLE WAR OF CHALONS, . 193 



CONTENTS xi 

CHAP. PAGE 

XLI. EDWARD I.— THE LAWGIVER— THE STORY OF THE 

FIRST PRINCE OF WALES, . . . .196 

XLIL EDWARD I.— THE HAMMER OF THE SCOTS, . . 200 

XLIIL EDWARD 11. OF CAERNARVON — THE STORY OF 

KING ROBERT THE BRUCE AND BOHUN, . . 204 

XLIV. EDWARD II. OF CAERNARVON— THE STORY OF THE 

BATTLE OF BANNOCK BURN, . . . .209 

XLV. EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR — THE STORY OF THE 

BATTLE OF SLUYS, . . . . .212 

XLVL EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR — THE STORY OF THE 

BATTLE OF CRECY, . . . . .216 

XLVII. EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR— THE STORY OF THE 

SIEGE OF CALAIS, . . . . .223 

XLVIII. EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR — THE STORY OF THE 

BATTLE OF POITIERS, . . . . .230 

XLIX. RICHARD II. OF BORDEAUX- THE STORY OF WAT 

TYLER'S REBELLION, . . . . .234 

L. HOW KING RICHARD II. LOST HIS THRONE, . . 242 

LI. HENRY IV. OF BOLINGBROKE— THE STORY OF THE 

BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY, . . . .245 

LII. HENRY IV. OF BOLINGBROKE— THE STORY OF HOW 

PRINCE HAL WAS SENT TO PRISON, . . 249 

LIIl. HENRY V. OF MONMOUTH— THE STORY OF THE 

BATTLE OF AGINCOURT, . . . .252 

LIV. HENRY VI. OF WINDSOR— THE STORY OF THE MAID 

OF ORLEANS, ...... 257 

LV. HENRY VI. OF WINDSOR— THE RED ROSE AND THE 

WHITE, 263 

LVI. EDWARD IV.— THE STORY OF QUEEN MARGARET 

AND THE ROBBERS, 269 



xii OUR ISLAND STORY 



PAGB 



LVII. EDWARD IV.— THE STORY OF THE KINGMAKER, . 272 
LVHI. EDWARD V.— THE STORY OF THE KING WHO WAS 

NEVER CROWNED, 277 

LIX. RICHARD III.- THE STORY OF THE TWO LITTLE 

PRINCES IN THE TOWER, . . . .283 

LX. HENRY VII. —THE STORY OF A MAKE-BELIEVE 

PRINCE, 286 

LXL HENRY VII. —THE STORY OF ANOTHER MAKE- 
BELIEVE PRINCE, . . . . .290 
LXIL HENRY VIII.— THE STORY OF THE FIELD OF THE 

CLOTH OF GOLD, 296 

LXIIL HENRY VIII.-HOW THE KING BECAME THE DE- 
FENDER OF THE FAITH AND HOW THE GREAT 

CARDINAL DIED, 303 

LXIV. HENRY VIIL— THE STORY OF THE KING'S SIX WIVES, 309 
LXV. EDWARD VI.— THE STORY OF A BOY KING, . . 313 

LXVI. THE STORY OF LADY JANE GREY, . . .318 

LXVII. MARY I.— HOW THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH BECAME 

A PRISONER, 322 

LXVIII. MARY I.— HOW A CANDLE WAS LIT IN ENGLAND 

WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN PUT OUT, . . 327 
LXIX. ELIZABETH— HOW THE IMPRISONED PRINCESS BE- 
CAME A QUEEN, 330 

LXX. ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF A MOST UNHAPPY QUEEN, 333 
LXXI. ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF HOW ENGLAND WAS 

SAVED FROM THE SPANIARDS, . . .338 

LXXII. ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH, 342 
LXXIIL ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF THE QUEEN'S FAVOURITE, 346 
LXXIV. JAMES VI. OF SCOTLAND, I. OF ENGLAND — THE 

STORY OF GUY FAWKES, .352 



CONTENTS xiii 

CHAP. PAGE 

LXXV. JAMES VI. OF SCOTLAND, I. OF ENGLAND— THE 

STORY OF THE ' MAYFLOWER,' . . .358 

LXXVI. CHARLES L— HOW A WOMAN STRUCK A BLOW 

FOR FREEDOM, ...... 363 

LXXVn. CHARLES L— THE STORY OF HOW THE KING AND 
THE PARLIAMENT QUARRELLED AND AT LAST 
FOUGHT, 367 

LXXVIIL CHARLES L— THE STORY OF HOW THE KING 

WAS BROUGHT TO HIS DEATH, . . .372 

LXXIX. THE COMMONWEALTH— THE ADVENTURES OF A 

PRINCE, 376 

LXXX. THE COMMONWEALTH— THE LORD PROTECTOR, 381 

LXXXI. CHARLES IL— HOW THE KING CAME TO HIS 
OWN, AND HOW DEATH WALKED IN THE 
STREETS OF LONDON, . . . .886 

LXXXIL CHARLES IL— THE STORY OF HOW LONDON WAS 

BURNED, 390 

LXXXIII. JAMES II. OF ENGLAND AND VIL OF SCOTLAND— 

THE FIERY CROSS, . . . . .394 

LXXXIV. JAMES II. OF ENGLAND AND VII. OF SCOTLAND— 

THE STORY OF KING MONMOUTH, . . 398 

LXXXV. JAMES II. OF ENGLAND AND VII. OF SCOTLAND— 

THE STORY OF THE SEVEN BISHOPS, . . 400 

LXXXVI. JAMES IL OF ENGLAND AND VII. OF SCOTLAND- 
WILLIAM THE DELIVERER, . . . .405 
LXXXVIL WILLIAM IN. AND MARY II. - THE STORY OF 

BRAVE LONDONDERRY, . . , .408 

LXXXVIIL WILLIAM III. AND MARY II.-THE STORY OF A 

SAD DAY IN A HIGHLAND GLEN, . . .411 

LXXXIX. ANNE— HOW THE UNION JACK WAS MADE, . 415 

XC. GEORGE I.— THE STORY OF THE EARL OF MAR'S 

HUNTING-PARTY, . . . . .419 



XIV 



OUR ISLAND STORY 



CHAP. '«— 

XCI. GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF BONNIE PRINCE 

CHARLIE, 424 

XCII. GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF FLORA MACDONALD, . 429 
XCIII. GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF THE BLACK HOLE OF 

CALCUTTA,. ...... 434 

XCIV. GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF HOW CANADA WAS 

WON, 437 

XCV. GEORGE III.— THE STORY OF HOW AMERICA WAS 

LOST, 442 

XCVI. GEORGE III.— A STORY OF THE SPINNING-WHEEL, . 448 
XCVII. GEORGE III.— ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN 

WILL DO HIS DUTY, ..... 453 
XCVIII. GEORGE III.— THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO, . . 469 

XCIX. GEORGE IV.— THE FIRST GENTLEMAN IN EUROPE, . 463 
C. WILLIAM IV. —THE STORY OF TWO PEACEFUL 

VICTORIES, 466 

CI. VICTORIA— THE GIRL QUEEN, . . . .471 

CII. VICTORIA— WHEN BREAD WAS DEAR, . . .474 

CIIL VICTORIA— PEACE, ...... 477 

CIV. VICTORIA— WAR, 480 

CV. VICTORIA— THE LAND OF SNOW, . . .487 

CVI. VICTORIA— THE SIEGE OF DELHI, . . .491 

CVII. VICTORIA— THE PIPES AT LUCKNOW, . . .496 

CVIII. VICTORIA— UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS, . . 500 

CIX. VICTORIA— FROM CANNIBAL TO CHRISTIAN, . . 505 

ex. VICTORIA— BOER AND BRITON, . . . .509 



LIST OF KINGS FROM EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, . 515 
INDEX, 617 



40^ 

/ 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

'Charles the King walked for the last time through the 

streets of London,' .... frontispiece ^ 

AT PAGE 

* The shore was covered with men ready for battle,' . . 6 

' Will you follow me, men ? ' . . . . . 20 ^ 

' Rowena came into the room carrying a beautiful golden 
cup; ....... 

* He stood there holding the magic sword in his hand,' . 52 

* Alfred found much pleasure in reading,' . . . 74^ 

* It seemed as if he rode alone to defy the whole English 

army,' . . . . . . . 112 ^ 

' The little boy knelt before the King and stammered out 

the story,' . . . . . . 184 ^ 

' Richard went away to Palestine,' . . . .156 

' The great Charter was sealed with the King's seal,' . . 176 ^ 

' The Count rode again and again at Edward till his lance 

was splintered in his hand,' .... 194 

* Bruce lifted his battle-axe high in the air, then brought it 

crashing down upon the helmet of Bohun,' . . 208 ' 

' The King made the Black Prince a Knight of the Order of 

the Garter,' ...... 222 '' 

' " For your contempt and disobedience I send you to prison," 

said Judge Gascoigne,' ..... 250 ' 

' One after another all the nobles plucked red or white roses 

and put them in their caps,' .... 264 ^ 



XVI 



OUR ISLAND STORY 



' The days seemed very long and dreary to the two little 
boys,' ...... 

' Henry sent Wolsey away from Court,' 

' The long weary years of prison life made Mary look old,' 

' " There is time to finish the game and beat the Spaniards 
too," said Drake,' .... 

' Quickly pulling off his cloak he threw it upon the ground,' 

' Stern men with drawn swords closed in upon him, 

' A band of exiles moor'd their bark on the wild Nt 
England shore,' 

' The Deliverer had come,' 

' The Union Jack,' . 

' They took a sad farewell of each other,' 

* Richard's shop soon became the fashion,' 
' " They have done for me at last, Hardy," said Nelson,' 

* Not till after the battle did Bliicher and Wellington meet,' 
' The ships were called the Terror and the Erebus ' . 

' " Dinna ye hear them ! dinna ye hear them ! " ' 

* The Boer leaders were blindfolded and guarded by soldiers 

of the Black Watch,' . 



284 
308 
336 



340-^ 

344/ 
/ 



356 

362 
406 

418' 



/ 



450 

456^ 

462'' 

488 

498/ 

512 / 



OUR ISLAND STORY 

CHAPTER I 

THE STORIES OF ALBION AND BRUTUS 

Once upon a time there was a giant called Neptune. 
When he was quite a tiny boy, Neptune loved the sea. 
All day long he played in it, swimming, diving, and 
laughing gleefully as the waves dashed over him. 

As he grew older he came to know and love the sea 
so well that the sea and the waves loved him too, and 
acknowledged him to be their king. At last people 
said he was not only king of the waves, but god of 
the sea. 

Neptune had a very beautiful wife who was called 
Amphitrita. He had also many sons. As each son 
became old enough to reign, Neptune made him king 
over an island. 

Neptune's fourth son was called Albion. When it 
came to his turn to receive a kingdom, a great council 
was called to decide upon an island for him. 

Now Neptune and Amphitrita loved Albion more than 
any of their other children. This made it very difficult 
to choose which island should be his. 

The mermaids and mermen, as the wonderful people 
who live in the sea are called, came from all parts of the 
world with news of beautiful islands. But after hear- 
ing about them, Neptune and Amphitrita would shake 

A 



2 OUR ISLAND STORY 

their heads and say, * No, that is not good enough for 
Albion.' 

At last a little mermaid swam into the pink and white 
coral cave in which the council was held. She was more 
beautiful than any mermaid who had yet come to the 
council. Her eyes were merry and honest, and they 
were blue as the sky and the sea. Her hair was as 
yellow as fine gold, and in her cheeks a lovely pink came 
and went. When she spoke, her voice sounded as clear 
as a bell and as soft as the whisper of the waves, as they 
ripple upon the shore. 

*0 Father Neptune,' she said, Met Albion come to 
my island. It is a beautiful little island. It lies like a 
gem in the bluest of waters. There the trees and the 
grass are green, the cliffs are white and the sands are 
golden. There the sun shines and the birds sing. It 
is a land of beauty. Mountains and valleys, broad lakes 
and swift-flowing rivers, all are there. Let Albion come 
to my island.' 

* Where is this island ? ' said Neptune and Amphitrita 
both at once. They thought it must indeed be a beautiful 
land if it were only half as lovely as the little mermaid 
said. 

' Oh, come, and I will show it to you,' replied she. 
Then she swam away in a great hurry to show her 
beautiful island, and Neptune, Amphitrita, and all the 
mermaids and mermen followed. 

It was a wonderful sight to see them as they swam 
along. Their white arms gleamed in the sunshine, and 
their golden hair floated out over the water like fine 
seaweed. Never before had so many of the sea-folk 
been gathered together at one place, and the noise of 
their tails flapping through the water brought all the 
little fishes and great sea monsters out, eager to know 



ALBION AND BRUTUS 8 

what was happening. They swam and swam until they 
came to the little green island with the white cliffs and 
yellow sands. 

As soon as it came in sight, Neptune raised himself 
on a big wave, and when he saw the little island lying 
before him, like a beautiful gem in the blue water, just 
as the mermaid had said, he cried out in joy, ' This is 
the island of my love. Albion shall rule it and Albion 
it shall be called.' 

So Albion took possession of the little island, which 
until then had been called Samothea, and he changed its 
name to Albion, as Neptune had said should be done. 

For seven years Albion reigned over his little island. 
At the end of that time he was killed in a fight with the 
hero Hercules. This was a great grief to Neptune and 
Amphitrita. But because of the love they bore to their 
son Albion, they continued to love and watch over the 
little green island which was called by his name. 

For many years after the death of Albion the little 
island had no ruler. At last, one day there came sailing 
from the far-off city of Troy a prince called Brutus. 
He, seeing the fair island, with white cliffs and golden 
sands, landed with all his mighty men of war. He fought 
and conquered the giants who lived in the land, and 
made himself king. He made himself king, not only over 
Albion, but over all the islands which lay around. He 
called them the kingdom of Britain or Britannia after his 
own name, Brutus, and Albion he called Great Britain 
because it was the largest of the islands. 

Although after this the little island was no longer 
called Albion, Neptune still loved it. When he grew 
old and had no more strength to rule, he gave his sceptre 
to the islands called Britannia, for we know — 
' Britannia rules the waves.' 



4 OUR ISLAND STORY 

This is a story of many thousand years ago. Some 
people think it is only a fairy tale. But however that 
may be, the little island is still sometimes called Albion, 
although it is nearly always called Britain. 

In this book you will find the story of the people of 
Britain. The story tells how they grew to be a great 
people, till the little green island set in the lonely sea 
was no longer large enough to contain them all. Then 
they sailed away over the blue waves to far-distant lands. 
Now the people of the little island possess lands all over 
the world. These lands form the empire of Greater 
Britain. 

Many of these lands are far, far larger than the little 
island itself Yet the people who live in them still look 
back lovingly to the little island, from which they or 
their fathers came, and call it ' Home.' 



CHAPTER II 

THE COMING OF THE ROMANS 

Hundreds of years passed after Brutus conquered 
Albion and changed its name to Britain, during which 
time many kings and queens reigned over the island. 
Our great poet Shakespeare has written about one of 
these kings who was called King Lear. Some day you 
must read his story. 

There were many good and wise rulers among these 
ancient British kings. But it would take too long to tell 
of them, so we must pass on to the time when another 
great warrior heard of the little lonely island and came to 
conquer it. 

The name of this great warrior was Julius Caesar. He 
was a Roman. At that time the Romans were a very 
powerful people. They called themselves the masters of 
the world. 

It is true they were very clever. They had taught 
themselves how to fight, how to make swords and armour, 
and how to build fortresses, better than any of the peoples 
who lived then. So it happened that the Romans 
generally won the victory over all who fought against 
them. 

But they were a very greedy people and, as soon as 
they heard of a new country, they wanted to conquer it 
and call it part of the Roman Empire. 

Julius Csesar had been fighting in Gaul, or France as 



6 OUR ISLAND STORY 

we now call it. While there, he heard of the little island 
with white cliffs over the sea. He was told that the 
people were very big and brave and fierce. He also heard 
that it was a rich land full of tin, lead, and other useful 
metals, and that the shores were strewn with precious 
pearls. So he resolved to conquer this land and add it to 
the Roman Empire. 

Csesar gathered together about eighty ships, twelve 
thousand men, and a great many horses. These he 
thought would be enough with which to conquer the 
wild men of Britain. One fine day he set sail from France 
and soon came in sight of the island. The Britons in 
some way or other had heard of his coming and had 
gathered to meet him. As he drew near, Csesar saw with 
surprise that the whole shore was covered with men ready 
for battle. He also saw that the place which he had 
chosen for landing was not good, for there were high, 
steep cliffs upon which the Britons could stand and 
shower darts upon his soldiers. So he turned his ships 
and sailed along the coast until he came to a place where 
the shore was flat. 

The Roman ships were called galleys. They had 
sails, but were also moved by oars. The rowers sat in 
long lines down each side of the galley. Sometimes 
there were two or three tiers of them sitting one above 
the other. These rowers were generally slaves and worked 
in chains. They were often soldiers who had been taken 
prisoner in war, or wicked men who were punished for 
their misdeeds by being made to row in these galleys. 

It was a dreadful life. The work was very hard, 
and in a storm if the vessel was wrecked, as often 
happened, the poor galley slaves were almost sure to be 
drowned, because their heavy chains prevented them from 
swimming. 




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■ \ 



COMING OF THE ROMANS 7 

As the Roman galleys sailed along the coast, the 
British warriors with their horses and war chariots followed 
on land. 

The war chariots of the British were very terrible. 
They were like light carts and held several men ; one to 
drive the horses and the others to fight. On either side, 
from the centre of the wheels, swords stuck out. As 
the wheels went round these swords cut down, killed, or 
wounded every one who came within reach. The Britons 
trained their horses so well, that they would rush madly 
into battle or stand stock still in a moment. It was 
a fearful sight to see these war chariots charge an 
enemy. 

After sailing along the coast a little way, Csesar found 
a good place at which to land, and turned his vessels in- 
shore. But the great galleys required so much water 
in which to sail that they could not come quite close 
to land. 

Seeing this, Cgesar told his soldiers to jump into the 
water. But the soldiers hesitated, for the Britons had 
rushed into the water to meet them and the Romans 
did not like the idea of fighting in the sea. 

Although the Romans were very good soldiers, they 
were not such good sailors as might have been expected. 
They did not love the water as the Britons did. 

These fierce 'barbarians,' as the Romans called the 
Britons, urging their horses into the waves, greeted the 
enemy with loud shouts. Every inch of the shore was 
known to them. They knew exactly where it was shallow 
and where it was deep, so they galloped through the 
water without fear. 

Suddenly a brave Roman called Decima, when he saw 
how the soldiers hesitated, seized a standard and leaped 
overboard crying, * Leap forth now, soldiers, if you will 



8 OUR ISLAND STORY 

not betray your ensign to the enemy, for I surely will 
bear myself as is my duty.' 

The Romans did not have flags such as we have 
in our army. Their standard was an eagle which was 
carried upon a pole. The eagle was of gold, or gilded 
to look like gold. Wherever the eagle led, there the 
soldiers followed, for it was the emblem of their honour, 
and they fought for and guarded it as their most precious 
possession. 

So now, when the Roman soldiers saw their standard 
in the midst of the enemy, they followed with all haste. 
Their fear was great lest it should be taken. It was 
counted as a terrible disgrace to the Romans if they 
returned from battle without their standard. Death was 
better than disgrace, so they leaped into the water to 
meet the fierce Britons. 

A fearful fight followed. The Romans could not 
keep their proper order, neither could they find firm 
footing. Weighed down with their heavy armour, they 
sank in the sand or slipped upon the rocks. All the 
while the Britons showered darts upon them and struck 
at them fiercely with their battle-axes and swords. 

The Britons were very brave, but they had not 
learned the best ways of fighting as the Romans had. 
So after a terrible struggle the Romans reached the land. 
On shore they formed in close ranks and charged the 
Britons. 

The Britons in their turn charged the Romans with 
their war chariots. The horses tore wildly along, neighing 
and champing their bits, and trampling underfoot those 
who were not cut down with the swords on the wheels. 
As they galloped, the fighting men in the cars threw 
darts and arrows everywhere among the enemy. When 
they were in the thickest of the fight the horses would 



COMING OF THE ROMANS 9 

suddenly stand still. Then the soldiers, springing out 
of the chariot, would fight fiercely for a few minutes 
with their battle-axes, killing every one within reach. 
Again they would leap into the car, the horses would 
start forward and once more gallop wildly through the 
ranks of the enemy, leaving a track of dead behind them 
wherever they passed. But in spite of all their wild 
bravery the Britons were beaten at last and fled before 
the Romans. 

Thus Caesar first landed upon the shores of Britain. 
But so many of his soldiers were killed and wounded 
that he was glad to make peace with these brave islanders. 

He sailed away again in such of his ships as had not 
been destroyed. For fierce storms had arisen a few days 
after his landing and wrecked many of his vessels. 

Ceesar did not gain much glory from this fight. 
Indeed, when he went away, it seemed rather as if he 
were fleeing from a foe than leaving a conquered land. 



CHAPTER III 

THE ROMANS COME AGAIN 

C^SATi must have felt that he had not really conquered 
the Britons for, as soon as he arrived safely in France, 
he began to gather together another army. In the spring 
of the following year, he again sailed over to Britain. 
He came now not with eighty, but with eight hundred 
ships and many thousands of men. But this time there 
was no one to meet him when he landed. The Britons 
indeed had heard of his coming, and had gathered in 
great force to resist him. But, when they saw such a 
huge number of ships, their hearts were filled with fear, 
and they fled into the forests and hills to hide. 

It must have been a wonderful sight, in the eyes of 
the ancient Britons, to see so many ships sailing on the 
sea all at once. They knew very little of the great lands 
which lay beyond the blue sea surrounding their little 
island. They had not even dreamed that the whole 
world contained as many ships as they now saw. So it 
was not surprising that at first they were afraid and fled. 
But they did not lose courage for long. They soon 
returned and many battles were fought. 

The Romans seemed to think that they won all 
these battles, but the Britons were not at all sure of it. 
Certainly a great many people on both sides were killed. 
If the Britons had been less brave than they were, they 
would have been very badly beaten, for the Romans wore 

10 



THE ROMANS COME AGAIN 11 

strong armour and carried shields made of steel, while 
the Britons had little armour, if any at all, and their 
shields were made of wood covered with skins of animals. 
The Roman swords too were strong and sharp, while 
those of the Britons were made of copper. Copper is a 
very soft metal, and swords made of it are easily bent and 
so made useless. 

The Britons at this time were divided into many 
tribes, each following their own chief. They often used 
to quarrel among themselves. Now, however, they joined 
together against their great enemy and chose a brave man, 
called Cassivellaunus, to be their leader. 

Cassivellaunus led the Britons so well, and Csesar 
found it such a difficult task to conquer them, that at 
last he was glad to make peace again and sail back to his 
own country. 

He did not like to go away as if he had been 
defeated, so he sent messengers to the British chief, 
saying, ' If you let me take some of your warriors back 
to Rome as a sign that you are now Roman subjects 
and will not rebel against me, I will go away.' 

The Britons were only too glad to be rid of Cgesar 
and his soldiers at any price. They gave him some 
British soldiers to take back to Rome, and even pro- 
mised to pay him a certain sum of money every year. 

But it almost seemed as if Neptune had been doing 
battle for his beloved Albion with his winds and waves. 
For while Cagsar had been fighting the Britons, such 
fierce storms arose that his ships were thrown upon 
the rocky shore and many of them dashed to pieces. 
Indeed so few of his ships remained fit to put to sea 
again that Csesar could not take all his soldiers away 
at one time. As many went as could, and the ships 
came back again for the others. 



12 OUR ISLAND STOKY 

CcEsar did not leave any soldiers in Britain at all, 
so it does not seem as if he had really conquered 
the land. These things happened in the year 54 B.C., 
that is, fifty-four years before Christ was born. All 
Christian lands count time from the year in which Christ 
was born, because His coming is the most wonderful 
thing which has ever happened. Anything that took 
place before Christ was born is said to be in such and 
such a year B.C. Everything which has taken place since 
then is said to be a.d. or Anno Domini, which means, 
'in the year of our Lord.' For instance, this book is 
written in the year 1905 a.d. or 1905 years after the 
birth of Christ. 



CHAPTER IV 

HOW CALIGULA CONQUERED BRITAIN, AND HOW 
CARACTACUS REFUSED TO BE CONQUERED 

After the second coming of Caesar, years passed during 
which the Romans left the Britons in peace. But they 
had by no means forgotten about the little green island 
in the blue sea. 

Julius Cassar had been dead many years when a 
Roman emperor called Caligula said he would go to 
Britain and thoroughly conquer the island. He did not 
mean to land and fight in one small part of it as Julius 
Caesar had done. He meant to march over the island, 
north, south, east, and west, and bring it all under the 
power of Rome. That is what he said he was going to do. 
What he really did was something quite different. 

He gathered a great army and marched from Italy 
right through France till he reached the coast. There 
news came to him that Guilderius, the king of Britain, 
had heard of his coming and had also gathered his soldiers 
together. 

Caligula must have been afraid when he heard that the 
brave Britons were ready to fight him, for this is how 
he conquered Britain. 

He drew his soldiers up in battle array upon the 
shore. Then he himself went into his galley and told 
his sailors to row him out to sea. After they had 
rowed him a short way he told them to return. When 

13 



14 OUR ISLAND STORY 

he had landed again he climbed into a high seat like a 
pulpit, which he had built on the sands. Then he 
sounded a trumpet and ordered his soldiers to advance 
as if to battle. 

But there was no enemy there. In front of the soldiers 
there was nothing but the blue sea and the sandy shore 
covered with shells. They could not fight against the 
waves and the sand, and the brave Britons, whom they 
had come to fight, were far away on the other side of the 
water and quite out of reach. 

So the soldiers stood and wondered what to do. 
Then Caligula ordered them to kneel down upon the 
sand and gather as many shells as they could. 

The first thing a Roman was taught, was to obey. 
So now the soldiers did as their general commanded and 
gathered the cockle shells which lay around in hundreds. 

It must have been a curious sight to see all these 
strong soldiers, armed with sword, shield, and helmet, 
picking up shells upon the sea-shore. 

When they had gathered a great quantity, Caligula 
made a speech. He thanked the soldiers as if they had 
done him some great service. He told them that now 
he had conquered the ocean and the islands in it, and 
that these shells were the spoils of war. He praised the 
soldiers for their bravery, and said that the shells should be 
placed in the temples of Rome in remembrance of it. Then 
he rewarded them richly and they marched home again. 

That was how Cahgula conquered Britain. 

After the death of Caligula, another Roman called 
Claudius tried to conquer Britain. He sent generals and 
came himself, but he could not thoroughly subdue the 
Britons. A few chiefs indeed owned themselves beaten, 
but others would not. They would rather die than be 
slaves of Rome, they said. 



HOW CALIGULA CONQUERED BRITAIN 15 

Among those who would not yield was a very brave 
man called Caractacus. A great many of the Britons 
joined him and fought under his orders. Caractacus and 
his men fought well and bravely, but in the end the 
Romans defeated them. 

After many battles Caractacus chose for his camp a 
place on the top of a hill on the borders of Shropshire, 
Cheshire, and Lancashire. There he made a very strong 
fortress surrounded by three walls and a deep ditch. The 
walls were so well built that after all these long years 
they can still be seen quite plainly to-day. 

When the Roman soldiers came to the foot of the hill, 
Caractacus prepared for battle. He called his soldiers 
together and made a speech to them. ' Show yourselves 
to be men,' he said. ' To-day is either the beginning of 
Liberty or of eternal bondage. Remember how your 
forefathers fought against Julius Caesar, and fight now 
for your homes, as they did for theirs.' 

Then all the Britons called out, ' We will die for our 
country.' The noise of their shouts was carried by the 
wind to the camp of the Romans. It sounded to them 
as if the Britons were rejoicing. The Romans feared 
Caractacus. They knew how brave he and his men were. 
They knew that it would be very difficult to take his 
strong fortress. Yet they felt quite sure of taking it in 
the end, and they wondered what cause the Britons had 
for rejoicing. 

And it happened as the Romans expected. After 
fierce fighting and great slaughter on both sides the camp 
was taken. Caractacus, his wife and daughter, and all 
his brothers were made prisoner and led in chains to 
Rome, and there was great sorrow in Britain. 

Whenever a Roman emperor returned from battle 
and victory, he used to have what was called a Triumph. 



16 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Every one in Rome had a holiday ; the streets were gay 
with flowers and green wreaths. The conqueror, dressed 
in beautiful robes and wearing a crown of bay leaves, rode 
through the streets. He was followed by his soldiers, 
servants, and friends. Then came a long train of the 
captives he had made during the war, with the armour, 
weapons, jewels, and other riches he had taken from the 
conquered people. 

After the war with Britain was over Claudius had a 
Triumph. The fame of Caractacus had already reached 
Rome, and when it became known that he had been 
taken prisoner and would walk in the Triumph there was 
great excitement. The people crowded into the streets 
eager to see this brave warrior. And although in chains, 
he looked so proud and noble that many even of the 
Romans were sorry for him. 

When he was brought before the Emperor and 
Empress, Claudius and Agrippina, he did not behave like 
a slave or a captive, but like the freeborn king and Briton 
he was. 

*I am as nobly born as you,' he said proudly to 
Claudius. ' I had men and horses, lands and great riches. 
Was it wonderful that I wished to keep them ? You 
fight to gain possession of the whole world and make all 
men your slaves, but I fought for my own land and for 
freedom. Kill me now and people will think little of 
you : but if you grant me my life, all men will know that 
you are not only powerful but merciful.' 

Instead of being angry, Claudius was pleased with the 
proud words of Caractacus. He was so pleased that he 
set him at liberty with his wife and all his family. But 
whether Caractacus ever returned to his dear country, or 
whether he died in that far-off land, we do not know. 
We do not hear anjrthing more about him. 



CHAPTER V 

THE STORY OF A WARRIOR QUEEN 

Although the Britons had lost their great general Carac- 
tacus, still they would not yield to the Roman tyrants. 

Soon another brave leader arose. This leader was a 
woman. Her name was Boadicea, and she was a queen. 
She ruled over that part of the country which is now 
called Norfolk and Suffolk. 

As I said before, the Romans were a very greedy 
people. They wanted to take away the freedom of 
Britain and make the island into a Roman province. 
They also wanted to get all the money and possessions 
which belonged to the Britons for themselves. 

The husband of Boadicea knew how greedy the 
Romans were, and when he was about to die he became 
very sad. He was afraid that the Roman Emperor would 
rob his wife and daughters of all their money, when he 
was no longer there to take care of them. So, to prevent 
this, he made the Emperor a present of half of his money 
and lands, and gave the other half to his wife and children. 
Then he died happy, thinking that his dear ones would 
be left in peace. 

But the greedy Romans were not pleased with only 
half of the dead king's wealth. They wanted the whole. 
So they came and took it by force. Boadicea was a very 
brave woman. She was not afraid of the Romans, and 



18 OUR ISLAND STORY 

she tried to make them give back what they had stolen 
from her. 

Then these cruel, wicked men laughed at her. And 
because she was a woman and had, they thought, no one 
to protect her, they beat her with rods and were rude to 
her daughters. 

But although the Romans were clever, they sometimes 
did stupid things. They thought very little of their own 
women, and they did not understand that many of the 
women of Britain were as brave and as wise as the men, 
and quite as difficult to conquer. 

After Boadicea had been so cruelly and unjustly 
treated, she burned with anger against the Romans. Her 
heart was full only of thoughts of revenge. She called 
her people together, and, standing on a mound of earth, 
so that they could see and hear her, she made a speech to 
them. She told them first how shamefully the Romans 
had behaved to her, their Queen. Then, like Caractacus, 
she reminded thein how their forefathers had fought against 
Julius Caesar, and had driven the Romans away for a time 
at least. ' Is it not better to be poor and free than to 
have great wealth and be slaves ? ' she asked. ' And the 
Romans take not only our freedom but our wealth. 
They want to make us both slaves and beggars. Let us 
rise. O brothers and sisters, let us rise, and drive these 
robbers out of our land ! Let us kill them every one ! Let 
us teach them that they are no better than hares and 
foxes, and no match for greyhounds ! We will fight, and 
if we cannot conquer, then let us die — yes, every one of 
us — die, rather than submit' 

Queen Boadicea looked so beautiful and fierce as she 
stood there, with her blue eyes flashing, and her golden 
hair blowing round her in the wind, that the hearts of 
her people were filled with love for her, and anger against 



THE STORY OF A WARRIOR QUEEN 19 

the Romans. As she spoke, fierce desires for revenge 
grew in them. They had hated their Roman conquerors 
before, now the hatred became a madness. 

So, when Boadicea had finished speaking, a cry of rage 
rose from the Britons. They beat upon their shields with 
their swords, and swore to avenge their Queen, to fight 
and die for her and for their country. 

Then Boadicea, leaning with one hand upon her spear, 
and lifting the other to heaven — prayed. She prayed to 
the goddess of war, and her prayer was as fierce as her 
speech, for she had never heard of a God who taught 
men to forgive their enemies. 

As she stood there praying, Boadicea looked more 
beautiful than ever. Her proud head was thrown back 
and the sun shone upon her lovely hair and upon the 
golden band which bound her forehead. Her dark cloak, 
slipping from her shoulders, showed the splendid robe she 
wore beneath, and the thick and heavy chain of gold 
round her neck. At her feet knelt her daughters, sobbing 
with hope and fear. 

It was a grand and awful moment, and deep silence 
fell upon the warriors as they hstened to the solemn words. 
Then, with wild cries, they marched forward to battle, 
forgetful of everything but revenge. 

The battles which followed were terrible indeed. The 
words of Queen Boadicea had stirred the Britons until 
they were mad with thoughts of revenge, and hopes of 
freedom. They gave no mercy, and they asked none. 
They utterly destroyed the towns of London and of 
St. Albans, or Verulamium as it was then called, killing 
every one, man, woman and child. 

Again and again the Romans were defeated, till it 
almost seemed as if the Britons really would succeed in 
driving them out of the country. Boadicea herself led 



20 OUR ISLAND STORY 

the soldiers, encouraging them with her brave words. 
* It is better to die with honour than to live in slavery,' 
she said. ' I am a woman, but I would rather die than 
yield. Will you follow me, men ? ' and of course the men- 
followed her gladly. 

At last the Roman leader was so downcast with his 
many defeats that he went himself to the British camp, 
bearing in his hand a green branch as a sign of peace. 
When Boadicea was told that an ambassador from the 
Romans wished to speak to her, she replied proudly, 
' JNIy sword alone shall speak to the Romans.' And 
when the Roman leader asked for peace, she answered, 
' You shall have peace, peace, but no submission. A 
British heart will choose death rather than lose liberty. 
There can be peace only if you promise to leave the 
country.' 

Of course the Romans would not promise to go away 
from Britain, so the war continued, and for a time the 
Britons triumphed. 

But their triumph did not last long. The Roman 
soldiers were better armed and better drilled than the 
British. There came a dark day when the Britons were 
utterly defeated and many thousands were slain. 

When Boadicea saw that all hope was gone, she called 
her daughters to her. ' My children,' she said sadly, as 
she took them by the hand and drew them towards her, 
'my children, it has not pleased the gods of battle to 
deliver us from the power of the Romans. But there is 
yet one way of escape.' Tears were in her blue eyes as 
she kissed her daughters. She was no longer a queen of 
fury but a loving mother. 

Then taking a golden cup in her hands, * Drink,' she 
said gently. 

The eldest daughter obeyed proudly and gladly, but 




"will you follow me, men?' 



THE STORY OF A WARRIOR QUEEN 21 

the younger one was afraid. * Must I, mother ? ' she asked 
timidly. 

* Yes, dear one,' said Boadicea gently. ' I too will 
drink, and we shall meet again.' 

When the Roman soldiers burst in upon them, they 
found the great queen dead, with her daughters in her 
arms. 

She had poisoned both herself and them, rather than 
that they should fall again into the hands of the Romans. 



CHAPTER VI 

THE LAST OF THE ROMANS 

Caractacus was dead, Boadicea was dead, many other 
brave British leaders were dead, but the Britons still con- 
tinued to give the Romans a great deal of trouble. 

At last Vespasian, who was then Emperor of the 
Romans, sent a general called Julius Agricola to see if 
he could subdue the people and govern the island of 
Britain. 

Julius Agricola was a very clever soldier and a wise 
man. When he had gained one or two victories over 
the Britons, he tried what kindness would do. This was 
sometliing the Romans had never done before. 

Julius Agricola tried to understand the people. He 
was just and fair. He not only took away many of the 
heavy taxes which the Romans had made the British 
pay, but he built schools and had the people taught to 
read and write. For up to this time the Britons had had 
no teachers and no schools. None of them could read 
or write, and perhaps there was not a single book in the 
whole island. 

Of course, books in those days were quite different 
from what they are now. There was no paper, and 
printing was unknown, so when people wanted to make a 
book they wrote upon strips of parchment, which was 
made from the skins of animals. These strips were then 
rolled up, and looked very much hke the maps we hang 
upon the wall, only they were smaller. 

22 



THE LAST OF THE ROMANS 23 

Besides building schools, Agricola built public halls 
and courts where the people might come and ask for 
justice, whenever they had been wronged. He taught 
the Britons what obedience, law and order meant, and in 
every way tried to make them live good lives. 

Soon the Britons began to understand that the Romans 
could give them some things which were worth having. 
So there was much more peace in the land. 

Julius Agricola also built a line of forts across the 
island from the Forth to the Clyde. He did this to keep 
back the wild Picts and Scots, or people of the north. 
For as they could not be brought under Roman rule nor 
tamed in any way, he thought it was better to try to shut 
them into their own country. Later on an emperor, called 
Antonine, built a great wall along the line of Agricola's 
forts for the same purpose. 

But while Julius Agricola was doing all this good 
work in Britain, the emperor who had sent him died, and 
another ruled instead. 

This emperor was jealous of Agricola because he 
managed the people of Britain so well. He was so 
jealous that he told Agricola to come back to Rome, and 
sent another man to govern Britain instead of him. 

It was very foolish of a great emperor to be angry 
with his general because he did his work well. He ought 
rather to have been glad. 

The people of Britain soon showed him how foohsh 
he had been, for they once more rebelled against Roman 
rule. 

Later on another great emperor who was called 
Hadrian reigned, and he himself came to Britain. He 
found the wild people of the north very troublesome, 
so he built a wall across Britain from the Tyne to the 
Solway. He did not try to drive these wild people so far 



24 OUR ISLAND STORY 

north as Agricola had done. The wall which Hadrian 
built is still called by his name, and is still to be seen to 
this day ; so you can imagine what a very strong wall 
it was and what a fierce people they were who lived 
beyond it. 

Hadrian was wise as Agricola had been. He taught 
the Britons many things which were good and useful to 
know. But very soon after he left the island, the people 
rebelled again. 

And so it went on until, at last, nearly five hundred 
years after the first coming of Julius Ceesar, the Romans 
gave up and left Britain altogether. That was about the 
year 410 a.d. The wonder is that they had stayed so 
long, for the Britons had certainly given them a gi-eat 
deal of trouble. 

But after all, although the Britons always fought against 
the Romans, they had learned many things from them. 

Before the Romans came, the Britons had been very 
ignorant and wild. In many parts of the country they 
wore no clothes at all. Instead, they stained their bodies 
blue with a dye called woad. Tlieir houses were only 
little round huts, with a hole in the middle of the roof 
which let some light in and the smoke of the fire out. 
There were no schools, and little boys and girls were 
taught nothing except how to fish and hunt, and how to 
fight and kill people in battle. 

There were hardly any roads and there were no 
churches. 

The ancient Britons were heathen. They worshipped 
the oak-tree and the mistletoe. 

The British priests were called Druids. It is said that 
they received their name from Druis, who was a very wise 
king of Albion in far-off times. 

The Druids were the wisest people in the land. When 



THE LAST OF THE ROMANS 25 

any one was in doubt or difficulty he would go to them for 
advice. They were very solemn and grand old men with 
long white beards and beautiful robes. There were no 
churches, as I said, but the people worshipped in dark 
hollows in the woods and in open spaces surrounded by 
great oak-trees. Some of the teaching of the Druids was 
very beautiful, but some of it was very dreadful, and they 
even killed human beings in their sacrifices. 

But the Romans taught the Britons many things. 
They taught them how to build better houses and how to 
make good roads, how to read and write, and much more 
that was good and useful. And presently priests came from 
Rome, bringing tidings of a new and beautiful religion. 

They came to tell the people of Britain how the Son of 
God came to earth to teach men not to hate and kill each 
other, but to love each other, and above all to love their 
enemies. 

It is difficult to understand what a wonderful story 
this must have seemed to the wild island people. For 
they were a people who were born and who lived and 
died among wars and hatred. Yet many of them beheved 
and followed this new rehgion. Gradually the Druids 
disappeared, and the priests of Christ took their place. 

Although the religion of Christ came from Rome, the 
Romans themselves were nearly all pagans. And one of 
the last Roman emperors who tried to rule Britain hated 
the Christians very much. He forbade the worship of 
God and Christ, and killed and tortured those who dis- 
obeyed his orders. 

But the people who had once become Christian would 
not again become heathen. They chose rather to die. A 
person who dies for his religion is called a martyr. 

In the next chapter is the story of the first Christian 
martyr in Britain. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE STORY OF ST. ALBAN 

The first Christian martyr in Britain was called Alb an. 
He lived in the town called Verulamium. He was a 
Briton, but he was one of those who had learned many 
things from the Romans. When he was a boy he had 
even travelled to Rome, and had seen the beautiful city 
from which these conquerors took their name. And all 
that he had seen and learned had helped him to grow up 
a noble, generous man. 

Alban had a great deal of money, and with it he used 
to help the poor people who lived around him. Every one 
loved and trusted him. Even the Christians loved and 
trusted him although he was a heathen. If any one was 
in trouble he would go for help to Alban the great, rich, 
kind man. 

When the wicked Roman Emperor sent men to kill 
the Christians in Britain, a holy man called Amphibalus, 
who also lived in Verulamium, fled to the house of Alban 
for shelter. 

'My lord,' said this old man, 'the soldiers of the 
emperor seek me to take my life. Hide me, and God 
will reward you.' 

* What evil have you done ? ' asked Alban. 

* I have done no evil,' rephed Amphibalus. ' I am a 
Christian, that is all.' 

' Then fear nothing,' said Alban kindly. ' I have heard 
much of the Christians, but nothing that is bad.' 



THE STORY OF ST. ALBAN 27 

And Alban took Amphibalus into his house and hid 
him. He seemed quite safe there, as the soldiers did not 
think of looking for him in the house of a man who was a 
heathen. 

Alban talked every day with Amphibalus, who told 
him all the story of Christ. It seemed to Alban very 
beautiful and wonderful that any one should die to save 
others. He felt that this religion of love and gentleness 
was much better than the fierce teaching of the Druids. 

For some days Amphibalus lived in peace. But one 
day while he sat talking with Alban, a frightened servant 
came to say that soldiers were at the gate. They had 
found out where Amphibalus was hiding. 

' JSIy son,' said the old man trembling, ' I must say 
farewell, for I am about to die.' 

' No,' replied Alban, ' I will save you yet. Give me 
your robe.' 

Then hastily taking off his own beautiful robe he 
threw it over the old man's shoulders, and thrust a purse 
of gold into his hand. ' Go,' he said, ' go quickly ; my 
servant will take you by secret ways. I will keep the 
soldiers from pursuing you. But bless me, father, before 
you go.' 

Alban knelt, and Amphibalus gently laid his hand 
upon the bowed head. 

' May God the Father reward you, and may the Holy 
Spirit lead you in the true way of Christ. Farewell, my 
son.' Then he made the sign of the cross over him, and 
was gone. 

Alban wrapped himself in the robe which Amphibalus 
had taken off and, drawing the hood over his head, 
waited. 

The soldiers, having at last forced a way into the house, 
rushed in upon him. Seeing a man in the robe of a priest. 



28 OUR ISLAND STORY 

they seized and bound him, never doubting that it was 
Amphibalus the Christian. 

Alban was then led before the Roman Governor. 
There his hands were unbound, and he threw off his long 
robe. Great was the astonishment of the soldiers when 
they discovered that their prisoner was not the Christian 
priest for whom they had been seeking, but the heathen 
lord, Alban. 

The Governor happened to be offering up sacrifices to 
idols, when Alban was led before him. He was very angry 
with the soldiers for allowing Amphibalus to escape, 
and still more angry with Alban for helping him to do so. 

' Who are you, and how dare you hide wicked and 
rebellious people in your house ? ' he asked. ' You must 
tell me where this Christian is hiding, and offer sacrifices 
to the gods to show that you are sorry for what you have 
done.' 

' I can do neither of these things,' replied Alban. 

' Who are you, that you dare to defy me ? ' demanded 
the Governor. 

' What does it matter to you who I am ? ' replied 
Alban. 

' I asked for your name,' repeated the Governor in 
furious anger. ' Tell it to me at once.' 

* My parents called me Alban,' he then replied. 

' Then, Alban, if you would have the gods forgive you, 
you must offer sacrifices to them, and repent of your 
wicked words and deeds.' 

* I cannot,' replied Alban. * I no longer believe in 
these old gods. They teach men to be cruel and wicked. 
I shall never sacrifice to them again. Amphibalus is 
a good and gentle old man. He has never hurt nor 
wronged any one, yet these gods tell you to torture and 
kill him. ^ will not believe in them any more. I would 



THE STORY OF ST. ALBAN 29 

rather believe in the God of Amphibalus, who teaches 
people to love one another.' 

Then the Governor cried out, * This man is too w^icked 
to live. Take him and put him to death.' 

The soldiers led Alban away, and it soon became 
known all over the town that Alban, who was good and 
kind and loved by every one, was to be put to death. So 
a great crowd followed him as he was led across the river 
and up the grassy slope to the top of a hill. Indeed so 
many people followed that no one was left in the town, 
except the wicked Governor. Perhaps when he was alone 
in the terrible silence of the empty streets, he felt sorry for 
what he had done. But it was too late. Alban had gone 
to death, and there was not one person remaining in the 
town whom the Governor could send after him to bring 
him back. 

With tears and sobs the people followed and pressed 
round Alban. Every one was eager to show his love for 
him, and to say a last good-bye. 

When they came to the little bridge over the river, 
the crowd was so great that it was impossible for Alban 
to pass. So the soldiers, impatient and angry, said he 
must walk through the water. Then, we are told, a 
wonderful thing happened. The water of the river dried 
up, and Alban passed over on dry land. 

On they went up the hillside. It was a beautiful 
green, grassy slope where the children used to play in the 
summer sunshine. Sweet-scented wild-flowers made it 
gay with their bright colours. Pretty butterflies fluttered 
about, and the air was full of the hum of bees and the 
song of birds. 

On the top of the hill Alban knelt down, feeling tired 
and thirsty. Just at that moment there seemed to spring 
from the ground a clear stream of water which no one 



30 OUR ISLAND STORY 

had noticed before. Alban bent down, and drank from 
it and felt refreshed. 

A tall soldier had been walking beside Alban, carry- 
ing a great sword with which to cut off his head. But 
when he saw how gentle and good Alban was and how 
the people loved him, he began to feel sorry for what he 
had to do. 

As Alban knelt upon the grass the soldier threw 
down his sword, crying out, * This is a holy man. I can- 
not kill him.' 

The captain of the soldiers was very angry at this. 
* Take up your sword,' he said, * and do your duty.' 

' I cannot,' replied the man, * I would rather die.' 

' Then you shall die,' replied the captain. And draw- 
ing his own sword, with one blow he cut off Alban's 
head and with a second the head of the soldier. At the 
same moment, we are told, the captain lost his sight and 
remained blind for the rest of his life. 

This is the story of how the first martyr in Britain 
died. He was brave, and wise, and kind and, like Christ, 
he gave his life for others. 

After his death Alban was called St. Alban, and the 
name of the town in which he had lived was changed 
from Verulamium to St. Albans. The sorrowing people 
built a church on the spot where he died and, when it 
became so old that it fell into ruins, a still more beautiful 
one was built. That church remains to this day, and 
people still worship God on the very spot where the first 
Christian martyr in Britain died. 

Although we need not believe the wonderful stories 
of what happened at his death, it is interesting to know 
that there is still a spring called Holywell at St. Albans, 
and that the hill up which the people followed St Alban 
is still called Holywell Hill. 



CHAPTER VIII 

VORTIGERN AND KING CONSTANS 

During nearly all the time that the Romans remained 
in Britain, the Britons fought with them and rebelled 
against them. But, strange to say, hardly had the Romans 
gone away than the Britons wanted them to come back. 

While they remained in Britain the Romans took all 
the strongest and bravest of the Britons for soldiers. 
They made them go into the Roman army and taught 
them how to fight like the Romans. When they left 
Britain they took away all these British soldiers as 
well as their own. So the poor country was left with 
very few men who were able to fight. There were no 
great generals either like Cassivelaunus, Caractacus or 
Boadicea to lead them. And in those days, when 
people were almost always fighting and quarrelling, it 
was very necessary not only to have brave soldiers, but 
wise generals. 

You will remember that the Romans built two walls 
across Britain, in order to keep back the wild people who 
lived in the north — that is, in the part of the island which 
we now call Scotland. 

As long as the Romans remained in Britain they 
rebuilt and repaired these walls whenever it was neces- 
sary. Soldiers, too, lived in the forts, which were placed 
at short distances along the walls. These soldiers kept 

31 



82 OUR ISLAND STORY 

watch so that the Picts and Scots had not much chance 
of getting into the south part of the island. 

But when the Romans went away, there was no one 
to guard and repair these walls. The Picts and Scots 
soon found this out. They broke down the walls and 
overran the whole south country, reaching even as far as 
London. Fierce and brave as the Britons were, they 
were no match for the Picts and Scots. Besides, they 
had very few soldiers left, and no great leader. So in 
despair they sent a letter to the Roman Emperor, asking 
for help. This letter was so sad, that it was called ' The 
groans of the Britons.' 

' Come and help us,' it said, ' for the barbarians drive 
us into the sea, and the sea drives us back again to the 
barbarians. So those of us who are not killed in battle 
are drowned, and soon there will be none of us left at all.' 

The Romans, you remember, called the Britons bar- 
barians, and now the Britons in their turn called the Picts 
and Scots barbarians. 

But by this time the Romans had as much as they 
could do to fight their own battles. They could spare 
no soldiers to send to Britain, so the Britons had to help 
themselves as best they could. 

It was a very sad and miserable time for Britain, till 
at last a wise king called Constantine began to reign, and 
he succeeded in driving the Picts and Scots back into 
their own country. 

But one day a wicked Pict killed this wise king, and 
things became as bad as ever, if not worse. For the 
people, besides fighting with their enemies, began to 
quarrel among themselves as to who should be king next. 

King Constantine had three sons. The eldest, Con- 
stans, was a monk. A monk is a man who takes a vow 
that he will not marry and have a home of his own. 



VORTIGERN AND KING CONSTANS 33 

He lives in a big house with other monks, and spends his 
time in praying, in reading good books, and in helping 
people who are poor or ill. 

Constantine's eldest son was a man like this; his 
two younger sons, who were called Aurelius Ambrosius 
and Uther Pendragon, were little boys. 

Now some people said, ' We cannot have a monk for 
our king.' Others said, 'We cannot have little boys.' 
So they quarrelled. 

Among the nobles of Britain was a prince called 
Vortigern. He was very wise, but not very good. He 
now went to Constans and said to him, * Your father is 
dead. Your brothers are only Uttle boys. You ought to 
be king. Be a monk no longer, but trust yourself to me 
and I will make you king. Only you must promise to 
take me for your chief adviser.' 

It is considered a very wicked thing for a man to 
break his vows and cease to be a monk, after he has pro- 
mised to be one for all his life. But perhaps Constans 
was rather tired of that w^ay of living, for he promised to 
do everything that Vortigern asked. 

Vortigern took Constans away from the monastery, 
as the house in which monks live is called. They went 
to London together and Vortigern marched into the 
king's palace, took the crown, and put it on Constans's 
head. Then he told the people that Constans was their 
new king. 

The people were not very pleased at having a king 
chosen for them in this way, but, as Vortigern was such a 
powerful prince, they were afraid to fight with him. So 
they let Constans be king. 

Now Vortigern really wanted to get the whole of the 
power for himself. He knew that Constans, having lived 
all his life in a monastery, could not know much about 

c 



34 OUR ISLAND STORY 

ruKng people. So, although Constans was called king, it 
was really Vortigern who ruled. First, Vortigern took 
charge of the king's money. Next, he got all the strong 
castles into his hands, and filled them with his own 
soldiers. Then he said to the King, ' I hear that the 
Picts and Scots are coming to fight against us again. 
We ouffht to have more soldiers.' 

King Constans rephed, ' I leave everything to you. 
Get more soldiers if you think we need them.' 

Then Vortigern said, ' I think the Picts would be the 
very best soldiers to get. They will come and fight for 
us, if we pay them well.' In those days people did not 
always fight for their own country. There were many 
soldiers who would fight for any country and any cause, 
if only they were paid well. 

So Vortigern sent to Scotland for a hundred Picts. 
When they came, he treated them very kindly. He gave 
them more money and better food and clothes than any 
of the other soldiers. The Picts thought Vortigern was 
a very kind master. They soon saw that he really had 
all the power, and that Constans was only a pretence 
king. 

Now Vortigern wanted these Picts to murder Constans. 
But he was too cunning to tell them this plainly, so one 
day he appeared with a sad face and told the Picts that 
Constans gave him so little money that he could not afford 
to live in Britain any more, and must go somewhere else. 

This made the Picts very angry with Constans. They 
were so afraid of losing their kind master, that they 
resolved to kill Constans and make Vortigern king. 

That night, while Constans was asleep, they rushed 
into his room, cut off his head, and carried it to 
Vortigern. 

Vortigern was really delighted that his plan had 



VORTIGERN AND KING CONSTANS 35 

succeeded so well. But he pretended to be very sad at 
the death of Constans, and very angry with those who 
had killed him. He ordered all the Picts to be put into 
prison, and then had their heads cut off. He did this 
because he was afraid they might say afterwards that he 
had told them to murder Constans. 

When the two httle boys, Aurelius Ambrosius and 
Uther Pendragon, heard what had happened to their 
brother, King Constans, they were afraid that Vortigern 
might kill them too. For although Vortigern tried hard 
to make believe that he had had nothing to do with the 
murder of Constans, the people felt quite sure that he was 
really to blame for it. So Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther 
Pendragon fled away to that part of France called 
Brittany, where they remained in safety for many years. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE STORY OF THE COMING OF HENGIST AND HORSA 

VoRTiGERN now became king, for he was so powerful 
that none of the other princes dared to oppose him. But 
the Picts and Scots were very angry when they heard 
how their friends had been treated. They resolved to 
avenge them and at once made war on the Britons. 
They defeated ^'"ortigern in many battles, and killed more 
than half of his soldiers. 

The Britons were in despair. Vortigern called all the 
nobles and princes together in council, to discuss what 
was best to do. 

At this time there were really no very clever men 
among the nobles of Britain. They were all in great fear 
of the Picts and Scots, and they had no good counsel to 
offer. Vortigern therefore was able to do very much as 
he liked. 

* We must have help,' he said, ' if we are not to be 
thoroughly conquered by these wild barbarians from the 
north. The Romans will not help us. We must ask 
some one else. Across the sea, called the North Sea, 
there is a great country called Germany. The people 
who live in this country are Saxons. They are very 
brave and valiant fighters. Let us send over to Germany 
and ask the Saxons to come and help us.' 



THE COMING OF HENGIST AND HORSA 37 

Then all the nobles and princes said, * That is good 
advice, let it be done.' 

So Vortigern sent messengers to Germany with pro- 
mises of money and land to the Saxons, if they would 
come to fight against the Picts and Scots. The Saxons 
were very glad to come, and soon there appeared sail- 
ing over the sea three ships, filled with some of their 
strongest and bravest men. Their captains were two 
brothers, called Hengist and Horsa. Both these names, 
in the old Saxon language, mean horse. They were so 
called because they were strong and brave. 

The Saxons landed in Britain in 449 a.d. And little 
did the Britons think that they had come, not only to 
help, but to conquer them. 

As soon as the strangers landed, Vortigern led them 
northward to fight the Picts and Scots. There was 
a terrible battle. Both sides fought with the fiercest 
bravery, and on both sides many soldiers were killed. 
But in the end the Saxons had the best of it, and the 
Picts and Scots were driven back to their own country. 

The Britons were greatly delighted, and rewarded the 
Saxons with money and lands. Then Hengist and Horsa, 
seeing what a fine country Britain was, resolved never to 
go away again. They resolved rather to stay and conquer 
it for themselves. 

So they first told Vortigern that Aurelius Ambrosius 
and Uther Pendragon, the brothers of the dead King 
Constans, were coming to fight against him, and then 
they advised him to send over to Germany for more 
soldiers. 

Vortigern was very much afraid of the dead king's 
brothers, so he said, ' Send messengers to Germany and 
ask whom you like to come. I can refuse you nothing, 
since you have freed us from the Picts and Scots.' 



38 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Then Hengist said, ' You have indeed given us lands 
and houses, but as we have helped you so much I think 
you should give me a castle and make me a prince.' 

' I cannot do that,' replied Vortigern. ' Only Britons 
are allowed to be princes in this land. You are strangers 
and you are heathen. My people would be very angry 
if I made any one but a Christian a prince.' 

At that Hengist made a low bow, pretending to be 
very humble. ' Give your servant then just so much land 
as can be surrounded by a leather thong,' he said. 

Vortigern thought there could be no harm in doing 
that, so he said, 'Yes, you may have so much.' But he 
did not know what a cunning fellow Hengist was. 

As soon as Vortigern had given his consent, Hengist 
and Horsa killed the largest bullock they could find. 
Then they took its skin and cut it round and round into 
one long narrow strip of leather. This they stretched 
out and laid upon the ground in a large circle, enclosing 
a piece of land big enough upon which to build a fortress. 

If you do not quite understand how Hengist and 
Horsa managed to cut the skin of a bullock into one long 
strip, get a piece of paper and a pair of scissors. Begin 
at the edge and cut the paper round and round in circles 
till you come to the middle. You will then find that 
you have a string of paper quite long enough to surround 
a brick castle. If you are not allowed to use scissors, ask 
some kind person to do it for you. 

Vortigern was very angry when he learned how he 
had been cheated by Hengist and Horsa. But he was 
beginning to be rather afraid of them, so he said nothing, 
but allowed them to build their fortress. It was called 
Thong Castle, and stood not far from Lincoln, at a place 
now called Caistor. 

While this fortress was being built, messengers were 



THE COMING OF HENGIST AND HORSA 39 

sent to Germany for more men. They returned with 
eighteen ships full of the bravest soldiers they could find. 
In one of the ships, too, was a very beautiful lady. This 
was Rowena, Hengist's daughter. 

Soon after these soldiers and this beautiful lady arrived, 
the castle was finished. Then Hengist gave a great feast 
and asked Vortigern to it. 

Vortigern came and admired the castle very much, 
although he was still rather angry with Hengist for 
having cheated him about the land. 

Towards the end of the feast, Rowena came into the 
room, carrying a beautiful golden cup in her hands. 
Vortigern stared at her in surprise. He had never seen 
any one so pretty before. He thought that she must be 
a fairy, she was so lovely. 

Rowena went up to Vortigern, and kneeling before 
him held out the cup, speaking in the Saxon language. 

Vortigern did not understand. ' What does she say ? ' 
he asked Hengist. 

* She calls you " Lord, King," and offers to drink your 
health. You must say, " Drinc heil," ' he answered. 

Vortigern said ' Drinc heil,' although he did not know 
what it meant. 

Rowena then drank some of the wine and handed the 
cup to Vortigern, who drank the rest. 

Then Vortigern made Rowena sit beside him. They 
could not talk to each other because he could only speak 
British and she could only speak Saxon. But they looked 
at each other all the more. Vortigern loved Rowena. 
He loved her so much that he wanted to marry her. 

This was just what Hengist had hoped would happen. 
He knew he would have a great deal of power in 
Britain when his daughter was queen. But at first he 
pretended to object, and only consented at last as if it 



40 OUR ISLAND STORY 

were a great favour. He made Vortigern give him the 
whole of Kent, too, in return for allowing him to marry 
Rowena. 

When the people heard that the King had married a 
Saxon lady, they were very angry. Vortigern had been 
married before, and his sons, who were now men, were 
very angry too. But the Prince of Kent was most angry 
of all, when he heard that his land had been given to the 
Saxons. 

Hengist, seeing how angry the Britons were, thought 
it would be safer to have more of his own people round 
him. So he sent over to Germany for men, and almost 
every day more and more Saxons landed in Britain. And 
Vortigern loved Rowena so much that he allowed her 
father Hengist to do anything he liked. 

But the Britons did not mean to let their country be 
conquered a second time, so they rebelled against Vorti- 
gern and chose his son Vortimer to be king. 

Vortimer was young and brave, and loved his country. 
Under his leadership the Britons fought so well that they 
soon drove the Saxons away. Horsa was killed in one of 
the battles, and soon afterwards Hengist and most of his 
soldiers took their ships and fled back to Germany. They 
left their wives and children behind them, however, which 
looked very much as if they expected to come back again 
some day. 




Rowena came into the room carrying; a beautiful golden cup. 



CHAPTER X 

HENGIST'S TREACHERY 

The Britons were very glad to see the last of these 
heathen Saxons, and Vortimer began to restore order, 
and rebuild the towns and churches, which Hengist and 
Horsa and their men had destroyed. 

Vortimer was a very good king and his people loved 
him and obeyed him. But there was one person in the 
land who hated him. Tliat person was his stepmother, 
Rowena. She hated him because he had driven her 
father, Hengist, and all her countrymen away. 

Rowena tried in many ways to kill Vortimer, but she 
could not succeed. His people loved him so much that 
they guarded him well. At last, however, she found 
a wicked man who, because she promised him a great 
sum of money, agreed to poison Vortimer. So one day 
the people were told the sad news that their good king 
was dead. After this we do not hear very much more 
of Rowena, nor do we know if she was ever punished for 
her wickedness. 

As soon as Vortigern heard that his son was dead, he 
came from the castle in Wales where he had been hiding, 
and made himself king again. 

Then Rowena sent messengers to her father, and he 
gathered all his ships and men together, and came sailing 
over the sea to Britain once more. 



42 OUR ISLAND STORY 

When the Britons heard that Hengist was coming, 
they were very angry, and prepared to fight. Vortigern 
was frightened too. He seftt a message to Hengist tell- 
ing him that he must go away again. ' The Britons are 
ready for battle,' he said, ' and you and your men will all 
be killed if you try to land.' 

But Hengist was as cunning as ever. He sent back 
a message to Vortigern saying that he did not know that 
Vortimer was dead. * I came to fight for you, to help 
you to regain your throne,' he said. ' But now that you 
are King again there is no need to fight. Let us be 
friends. Let us all, Britons and Saxons, meet together at 
a great feast. Let us forget our quarrels and make peace. 
Then I will go home again with my soldiers.' 

Vortigern told the British nobles that Hengist wanted 
to make friends. The Britons really did not wish to fight 
any more, so they readily agreed to meet Hengist in 
a fi-iendly way on the Plain of Salisbury, and feast 
together. 

A day was fixed. It was in May. The grass was 
green and the sky blue, and the birds sang on this bright 
spring day. From all sides came the British nobles in 
their gayest holiday clothes, wearing no armour and 
carrying no weapons. 

The Saxons, too, came gaudily clad and seemingly 
unarmed. 

There was laughter, and talk and fi-iendly greeting, 
and the feast began. Suddenly, over the noise of the 
feasting, the voice of Hengist sounded loud, ' Draw your 
daggers.' 

Then every Saxon drew his dagger, which he had 
hidden in his stocking, and stabbed the Briton next to 
him. The Britons fought and struggled bravely, but 
they had no chance. They had only their bare hands 



HENGIST'S TREACHERY 43 

with which to defend themselves, for they had not 
dreamed of such treachery. 

Only two of all the Britons were saved. One was 
Vortigern, the king, because Hengist had ordered his 
soldiers not to kill him ; the other was Edol, Earl of 
Gloucester. He found a wooden stake lying on the 
ground, and defended himself so bravely with it that, it is 
said, he killed seventy of the Saxons, and then escaped 
with his life. 

After this wicked and cowardly slaughter of unarmed 
men, Hengist took possession of Britain. His wild, 
heathen soldiers swarmed all over the land, kiUing people, 
burning towns and making terrible havoc everywhere. 
The Britons fled in terror to the mountains and forests. 
Vortigern himself fled into a lonely part of Wales. 
There he built a strong castle in which to hide, for he 
was very much afraid. He was afraid of Hengist and the 
Saxons, and he was afraid of the Britons. He was also 
afraid of Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther Pendragon, the 
two brothers of King Constans. For by this time they 
were no longer little boys, but had grown up into brave 
men. 

Vortigern had need to be afraid of Aurelius and 
Uther, for, hearing how Hengist had taken possession of 
Britain, they thought it was now time to fight for their 
country. So they gathered ships and soldiers together, 
and came sailing over from France to Britain. 

When the Britons heard that Aurelius Ambrosius 
and his brother had landed, they took heart again. They 
came out from the places in which they had been hiding 
from the Saxons. Joyfully they offered themselves to 
fight under the banner of the brothers. 

As soon as Ambrosius and Uther had collected their 
army, they marched straight to Wales to besiege Vorti- 



44 OUR ISLAND STORY 

gern in his castle. They had not forgotten that he had 
murdered their brother, Constans, and they meant to 
punish him. 

But the castle was very, very strong. Try how they 
might, the Britons could not take it. Vortigern sat 
behind the thick walls, and laughed at all their efforts. 

At last the Britons fell upon a plan. They cut down 
trees and gathered dry sticks and leaves from the forests 
round about. These they piled high round the castle. 
Day by day Vortigern watched the pile of wood rising, 
and wondered what was going to happen. 

When the Britons had gathered enough wood, they 
set fire to it in several places at once. So one morning 
Vortigern awoke to hear the crackle crackle of newly -lit 
fires. He looked out and saw smoke and flames all around 
him. Wherever he looked he saw little tongues of fire. 
Soon the little tongues grew longer and longer. Higher 
and higher leapt the flames. Fiercer and fiercer grew the 
heat. Vortigern's laughter was turned to wild shrieks. 
In vain he prayed the Britons to have mercy on him and 
let him escape. * Had you any mercy on our brother, 
Constans ? ' said Ambrosius and Uther. ' Had you any 
mercy on our fathers and brothers when you let Hengist 
slay them on Salisbury Plain ? ' asked the Britons. 'You 
had no mercy. You shall find none.' 

The roar of the fire drowned all else. The flames 
leaped higher. With a crash the roof of the strong castle 
fell in. Vortigern, the betrayer of his people, was dead. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE STORY OF HOW THE GIANT'S DANCE WAS BROUGHT 

TO BRITAIN 

VoRTiGERN was dead, but the Saxons whom he had 
brought to Britain were still rulers of the land. So after 
burning the castle of Vortigern, Aurelius Ambrosius 
and Uther Pendragon marched against the Saxons. 
They defeated them in a great battle, and Hengist was 
taken prisoner. 

Then Aurelius Ambrosius called all the British nobles 
together in council to decide what should be done with 
Hengist. Aurelius was a very brave man, but he was not 
cruel. He was noble, and above all things he hated a lie. 
Hengist was brave too, but he was cruel, revengeful, and 
deceitful. 

Aurelius would have spared Hengist 's life, because he 
was such a brave man. But Edol, Earl of Gloucester, 
that noble who fought so well when the Britons were 
destroyed on Salisbury Plain, stood up. ' It is not right,' 
he said, ' that Hengist should live. He has brought much 
sorrow on our land. Through his fault nearly all our 
nobles were killed on Salisbury Plain. Let him die.' 
, Then all the people shouted, ' Let him die.' 

So Aurelius bowed his head and said, ' It is just. 
Let him die.' 

Edol then led Hengist away and cut off his head. 

But although their leader was gone, many Saxons still 



46 OUR ISLAND STORY 

remained in Britain, and afterwards you will hear how 
powerful they became. 

Aurelius was now chosen to be King of Britain and, 
like Vortimer, he began to restore order and rebuild the 
churches and towns which the heathen Saxons had a 
second time destroyed. The land which the Saxons had 
stolen he gave back to those of the Britons to whom it 
really belonged. He revised the laws, and once more 
peace and justice reigned in the kingdom. 

When Aurelius had put everything in good order, he 
went to Salisbury Plain to see the place where so many 
of his people had been put to death by Hengist and his 
wicked Saxons. 

As he stood upon the great plain, he felt very sad. 
Turning to his nobles who surrounded him, he said, ' My 
people died trying to make peace for their country. Yet 
there is no stone to mark the spot. I will have a noble 
monument raised, so that the wickedness of Hengist and 
the bravery of my people may be remembered for ever.' 

Then Aurelius sent for all the best builders and 
masons in the country, and told them to make a splendid 
monument. But, one after another, they refused. ' We 
are not clever enough to do such a great thing,' they 
said. 

This made Aurelius very sorry, for he wished very 
much that people should not forget these British heroes. 

Then a wise man came to him and said, ' Send for 
Merlin. If any one can build a great monument he can.' 

' Who is Merlin ? ' asked Aurelius. 

' Merlin is a great magician,' replied the wise man. 
' He used to live with Vortigern and do wonderful things 
for him. Since Vortigern's death he has been hiding 
somewhere in Wales. If you can find him he will build 
the monument for you.' 



THE GIANT'S DANCE 47 

A magician is a person who can do difficult things 
quite easily. His real home is in fairyland, and he under- 
stands fairy language. The fairies come and whisper their 
wonderful secrets to him, although no one else can see or 
hear them. 

Aurelius was very glad to hear about Merhn. He 
sent messengers into all the land to look for him. They 
searched about for a long time, until at last they found 
MerUn and brought him to the king. 

As soon as Merhn knew what Aurehus wanted, he 
said, ' If you really wish to honour the burying-place of 
these men with a monument which will last for ever, send 
to Ireland for the Giant's Dance.' 

' What is the Giant's Dance ? ' asked Aurelius. 

' The Giant's Dance is a great ring of stones,' replied 
Merlin. ' They are so wonderful and so old that no one 
is sure how they came there. But it is said that long, long 
ago giants brought these stones from a far-off country 
called Africa.' 

When Aurelius heard that, he burst out laughing. 
* How is it possible,' he asked, ' to remove such big stones 
from a far-off country ? Have we not enough stones in 
Britain with which to build a monument ? ' and he laughed 
again. 

' Do not laugh,' said Merlin gravely. ' They are 
wonderful stones. Every one of them will cure some 
kind of illness. They are fairy stones. ' 

When the Britons heard that, they made up their minds 
to have these stones, and Uther Pendragon was chosen 
to go with Merlin to bring them. So, taking a great 
army of men and many ships, they set sail for Ireland. 

When they arrived in Ireland they sent a message to 
the king, asking him to let them take the Giant's Dance 
away. 



48 OUR ISLAND STORY 

It was now the King of Ireland's turn to laugh. * What 
mad people these Britons are ! ' he said. ' Was ever such 
folly heard of ? Have they not enough stones in their 
own country, that they must come to take mine ? I shall 
certainly not give them one single stone of the Giant's 
Dance. Tell them to go home again and not to be so 
foolish.' 

But the Britons had quite made up their minds to 
have the Giant's Dance. As the King of Ireland would 
not give it to them, they resolved to fight for it. This 
they did, and soon put the Irish to flight. 

Then Merlin led the Britons to the place where the 
Giant's Dance stood. When they saw it, they were filled 
with joy and w^onder, and set to work at once to move the 
stones. But try how they might, they could not move 
even the smallest of them one single inch. They pulled 
and pushed, struggled and strained, till they were hot and 
tired, but the stones stood as firm as rocks. 

JNIerlin sat by, watching them and smiling. Then, 
when they were all worn out, and cross and tired, he 
rose. *Now let me try,' he said, 'it is really quite easy.' 
And in a very short time, with the help of his wonderful 
magic, he had moved all the stones and put them on board 
the ships. The people looked on in amazement and, as 
soon as he had finished, they set sail for Britain with great 
rejoicing. 

When they landed, messengers were sent to tell 
King Aurehus Ambrosius. He gathered all the nobles 
and clergy, and wearing his crown and royal robes, rode 
to Salisbury Plain. There, with great feasting and 
ceremony, the stones were set up as a memorial to the 
dead British heroes. They were placed in exactly the 
same order as they were found in Ireland. Aurelius 
changed the name from Giant's Dance to Stonehenge, 



THE GIANT'S DANCE 49 

and the great monument may be seen on Salisbury Plain 
to this day. 

Most people say this is a fairy tale, and ought not to 
be put in a history book. They say that the stones on Stone- 
henge were there long before JNIerlin lived, long before 
Hengist and his Saxons, or Cagsar and his Romans, even 
long before Brutus of Troy, came. They say that pro- 
bably no one will ever find out how these stones came to 
be there, or why they were placed as they are. I dare say 
they are right, but fairy tales are very interesting, and this 
fairy tale (if it is one) is to be found in some of the 
very first histories of Britain that were ever written. So 
certainly at one time people must have believed it to be 
true. 

Unfortunately, soon after this, a wicked Saxon poisoned 
the good king, Aurelius Ambrosius. The Britons were 
very sad at his loss, and they buried him within the 
Giant's Dance, where so many other noble Britons lay. 
Then, because Aurelius had no children, the people chose 
his brother Uther Pendragon to be king. 

He, too, was good and wise, but he had to spend most 
of his time fighting against the Saxons. After the death 
of Hengist very many Saxons had remained in Britain, 
and now many more came again in ships from Germany. 
Fierce and terrible battles were fought, and although the 
Saxons were often defeated, the Britons could not succeed 
in driving them away altogether. 

But the name of Uther Pendragon became a terror to 
these heathen. It is said that when he was so old and 
feeble that he could not stand, he was carried to battle in 
a litter. And so great was the power and fame of his 
courage, that the Saxons were utterly defeated. * Ah,' 
he said, laughing, 'these heathen call me the half-dead 
king. And so indeed I am. Yet victory to me half dead 

D 



50 OUR ISLAND STORY 

is better than to be safe and sound and vanquished. For 31 
to die with honour is better than to live with disgrace.' " 

But alas ! Uther Pendragon, like so many of the good 
kings before him, was also poisoned by the wicked Saxons. 
So he died, and the people buried him close to his brother, 
Aurelius Ambrosius, within the Giant's Dance on SaUsbury 
Plain. 

41 



« 



CHAPTER XII 

THE COMING OF ARTHUR 

As soon as Uther Pendragon was dead, the mighty nobles 
of Britain began to quarrel among themselves as to who 
should be king next. Each noble thought he had the 
best right, so the quarrelling was dreadful. 

While they were all gathered together, fighting and 
shouting at each other, Merlin came among them, leading 
a tall, fair-haired boy by the hand. When the nobles saw 
Merlin, they stopped fighting and were silent. They knew 
how clever he was, and what wonderful things he could 
do, and they were rather afraid of him. 

Merlin stood quietly looking at them all from under 
his bushy eyebrows. He was a very old man. But he 
was tall and strong and splendid, with a long white beard 
and fierce, glittering eyes. It was no wonder that the 
Britons felt afraid of him. 

'Lords of Britain,' said Merlin at last, 'why fight ye 
thus ? It were more meet that ye prepare to do honour 
to your king. Uther Pendragon is indeed dead, but 
Arthur, his son, reigns in his stead.' 

' Who is this Arthur ? Where is he ? ' asked the nobles 
angrily. ' Uther Pendragon had no son.' 

' Hear me,' said Merlin, ' Uther Pendragon had a son. 
It was told to me that he should be the greatest king who 
should ever reign in Britain. So when he was born, lest 
any harm should befall him, he was given into my care 

51 



52 OUR ISLAND STORY 

till the time should come for him to reign. He has dwelt 
in the land of Avilon, where the wise fairies have kept him 
from evil and whispered wisdom in his ear. Here is your 
king, honour him.' 

Then Merlin lifted Arthur up and placed him upon 
his shoulders, so that all the people could see him. There 
was something so noble and splendid about Arthur, even 
although he was only a boy, that the great lords felt awed. 
Yet they would not believe that he was the son of Uther 
Pendragon. ' Who is this Arthur ? ' they said again. 
* We do not believe what you say. Uther Pendragon 
had no son.' 

Then Merlin's bright eyes seemed to flash fire. * You 
dare to doubt the word of Merlin ? ' he shouted. ' O vain 
and foolish Britons, follow me.' 

Taking Arthur with him, JNIerlin turned and strode out 
of the hall, and all the nobles followed him. As they 
passed through the streets, the people of the town and the 
women and children followed too. On they went, the 
crowd growing bigger and bigger, till they reached the 
great door of the cathedral. There Merlin stopped, and 
the knights and nobles gathered around him ; those behind 
pushing and pressing forward, eager to see what was 
happening. 

There was indeed something wonderful to be seen.. 
In front of the doorway was a large stone which had not 
been there before. Standing upright in the stone was a 
sword, the hilt of which glittered with gems. Beneath 
it was written, ' Whoso can draw me from this stone is 
the rightful king of Britain.' 

One after another the nobles tried to remove the 
sword. They pulled and tugged till their muscles cracked. 
They strained and struggled till they were hot and breath- 
less, for each one was anxious to be king. But it was alt 
in vain. The sword remained firm and fast in the rock. 




HE STOOD THERE HOLDING THE MAGIC SWOBD IN HIS HAND' 



THE COMING OF ARTHUR 53 

Then last of all Arthur tried. He took the sword by 
the hilt and drew it from the stone quite easily. 

A cry of wonder went through the crowd, and the 
nobles fell back in astonishment leaving a clear space 
round the king. Then as he stood there, holding the 
magic sword in his hand, the British nobles one after 
another knelt to Arthur, acknowledging him to be their 
lord. 

' '' Be thou the king and we will work thy will, 
Who love thee." Then the king in low deep tones 
And simple words of great authority 
Bound them by so strait vows to his own self 
That when they rose, knighted from kneeling, some 
Were pale as at the passing of a ghost, 
Some flushed, and others dazed, as one Avho wakes 
Half-blinded at the coming of a light.' 

Arthur was only fifteen when he was made king, but 
he was the bravest, wisest and best king that had ever 
ruled in Britain. As soon as he was crowned, he deter- 
mined to free his kingdom from the Saxons. He swore a 
solemn oath that he would drive the heathen out of the 
land. His knights he bound by the same solemn oath. 

Then, taking the sword which he had won, and which 
was called Excalibur, and his mighty spear called Ron, he 
rode forth at the head of his army. 

Twelve great battles did Arthur fight and win against 
the Saxons. Always in the foremost of the battle he 
was to be seen, in his armour of gold and blue, the figure 
of the Virgin upon his shield, a golden dragon and crown 
upon his helmet. He was so brave that no one could 
stand against him, yet so careless of danger that many 
times he would have been killed, had it not been for the 
magic might of his sword Excalibur, and of his spear Ron. 

And at last the Saxons were driven from the land. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE FOUNDING OF THE ROUND TABLE 

It is said that Arthur not only drove the Saxons out 
of Britain, but that he conquered many parts of Europe, 
until at last he ruled over thirty kingdoms. Then for 
some years there was peace. 

During these years, Arthur did much for his people. 
He taught them to love truth and goodness, and to be 
Christian and gentle. No king had ever been loved as 
Arthur was loved. 

* Liberal to each man I ween. 
Knight with the best, wondrous keen, 
To the young he was as father. 
To the old as comforter. 
Wondrous stern to the unwise, 
Wrong could he suffer nowise. 
Right, dear exceeding was to him. 
Now was Arthur right good king. 
His folk and all peoples loved him.' 

In those fierce and far-off days, when men spent most 
of their time fighting, it was very necessary for them to 
be brave and strong, in order to protect their dear ones, 
but they were very often cruel as well and nearly always 
fierce. Arthur taught people that it was possible to be 
brave yet kind, strong yet gentle. Afterwards people 
forgot this again, but in the days of Arthur the fame of 
his court and of his gentle knights spread far and wide. 



FOUNDING OF THE ROUND TABLE 55 

No noble thought himself perfect unless his armour, 
and clothes even, were made like those of Arthur s knights. 
No man thought himself worthy of love until, fighting for 
the right against the wrong, he had three times conquered 
an enemy. 

Many pretty stories are told of Arthur and his gentle, 
courteous knights, although they did not learn all their 
gentleness and their courtesy at once, as you shall hear. 

Upon an Easter Day Arthur called together all his 
knights and nobles, from his many kingdoms, to a great 
feast. They came from far and near, kings, earls, barons 
and knights, gay in splendid clothes, glittering with jewels 
and gold. 

As they waited for the King they laughed and talked 
together. But secretly each heart was full of proud 
thoughts. Each man thought himself nobler and grander 
than any of the others. 

The tables were spread for the feast. They were 
covered with white silk cloths. Silver baskets piled with 
loaves, golden bowls and cups full of wine stood ready 
and, as the knights and nobles talked and waited, they 
began to choose where they would sit. 

In those days master and servants all sat together at 
the same table for meals. The master and his family sat 
at the top, and the servants and poor people at the 
bottom of the table. So it came to be considered that 
the seats near the top were the best. The further down 
the table any one sat, the less honour was paid him. 

At this feast no servants nor poor people were going 
to sit at table, yet all the nobles wanted places at the 
top. ' We will not sit in the seats of scullions and 
beggars,' they said. 

So they began to push each other aside, and to say, 
* Make way, this is my seat.' 



56 OUR ISLAND STORY 

*Nay, I am more honourable than you. You must 
sit below me.' 

' How dare you ? My name is more noble than 
yours. That is my seat.' 

* Give place, I say.' 

At first it was only words. Soon it came to blows. 
They had come to the feast unarmed, so they had only 
their hands with which to fight but, as they grew angrier 
and angrier, they seized the bowls of wine and threw 
them at each other. Next the loaves of bread and the 
gold and silver cups were thrown about, the tables and 
benches were overturned, howls and yells filled the hall, 
and everything was in dreadful confusion. 

When the noise was at its worst, the door opened and 
the King appeared. His face was stern and grand as he 
looked down on the struggling, yelling crowd. 

' Sit ye, sit ye down quickly, every man in the place 
where he is,' he cried. ' Whoso will not, he shall be put 
to death.' 

At the sound of their King's stern voice, the foolish 
nobles were filled with shame. Silently they sat down ; 
the tables and benches were put back in their places and 
the feast began. 

But Arthur was sad at heart. * How can I teach my 
people to be gentle and kind, if my knights will not even 
sit at meat in peace,' he said to himself. Then as he sat 
sorrowfully wondering what he could do, Merlin came 
to him. 

' Be not sad, O King,' he said, ' but listen to my 
advice. Tell your carpenters to make a great round 
table at which there shall be a place for every knight. 
Then there can be no more quarrelling. For at a round 
table there is neither top nor bottom, so no knight can say 
that he sits above or below another. All shall be equal.' 



FOUNDING OF THE ROUND TABLE 57 

Then Arthur was sad no longer. He did as Merlin 
advised, and had a great round table made, at which there 
was a seat for each one of his knights. After that there 
was no more quarrelling as to who should have the best 
place, for all were equal, and Arthur's knights became 
known as The Knights of the Round Table. 

But, alas ! the time of peace did not last. Again came 
days of war and strife. In a great and terrible battle, 
Arthur and nearly all his knights were killed. The fierce 
heathen sw^ept over the land, filling it with sorrow and 
bloodshed, and the glory and beauty of knighthood were 
forgotten in Britain. 

But some people think that Arthur did not die. 
They say that when he was wounded so that he could 
fight no more, the wise fairies came to take him back 
to fairyland. They say that he is still there, and that 
some day he will come again. 

Other people say the stories about Arthur and his 
knights are not true, but at least we may believe that 
in those far-oiF, fierce, fighting days there was a king 
who taught his people that to be gentle was not cowardly, 
and that to be cruel was not brave ; — 

' Who reverenced his conscience as his king ; 
Whose glory was redressing human wrong ; 
Who spake no slander, no, nor listened to it, 
Who loved one only and who clave to her.' 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE STORY OF GREGORY AND THE PRETTY CHILDREN 

You remember that the Romans came to Britain and, 
in a manner, conquered it. But after staying several 
hundred years, they again went away. When the Romans 
came to the island, the people who lived there were 
Britons. When the Romans left the island, the people 
who lived there were still Britons. The Romans could 
not make the Britons Romans, however hard they tried. 
They could not even make them speak Latin, which was 
the language of the Romans. The Britons learned many 
things from the Romans, but in spite of all they learned, 
they never forgot that they were Britons. 

When the Saxons came to Britain, things happened 
very differently. You remember that first of all Vorti- 
gern asked the Saxons to come, and that afterwards 
every British king fought against them and tried to drive 
them away. 

It seemed sometimes as if the Britons might succeed, 
but it never seemed so for long. In fact, from the day 
Hengist and Horsa landed, Britain had never really been 
free from these fierce heathen people. As time went on, 
they came in greater and greater numbers from over the 
sea. They were all Saxons, but there were many different 
tribes of them, some called Jutes, some Angles, and some 
by other names. 



THE STORY OF GREGORY 59 

The Britons fought nobly for their country, but all in 
vain. However many of the Saxons v^ere killed did not 
seem to matter, for their ships always brought more and 
more of them from over the sea. At last the Saxons had 
killed nearly all the Britons, and the few who remained 
took refuge in the mountains, in that part of the country 
which we now call Wales, and in Cornwall. So to this 
day the men of Cornwall and the Welsh are the descen- 
dents of the ancient Britons, and the language they 
speak is very like the language spoken by the ancient 
Britons. 

I want you to understand that the kings and people 
of whom you are now going to read are not British 
but Saxon, the new people from over the sea who had 
gradually taken possession of the whole of the south of 
Britain. There were other British kings after Arthur, 
but as nearly all their time was taken up with fighting 
against the Saxons, the story of their lives is not very 
interesting. 

These wild Saxons did not at once settle down quietly 
into one kingdom. No, they had many leaders, and each 
leader seized a part of Britain for himself and his followers, 
so there arose seven different kingdoms. And although 
they were really all one race of people, and spoke almost 
the same language, they were always fighting with each 
other. This lasted until Egbert, one of the kings of one 
of the seven kingdoms, succeeded in making the others 
own him as a kind of over-lord. He was an Angle, and 
he changed the name of the country from Britain to 
Angleland or England. So we may say that he was the 
first king of England. 

The Saxons were heathen as you know, and they 
pulled down the churches and killed the Christian priests. 
So all the land became heathen again. Only in the wild 



60 OUR ISLAND STORY 

mountains of Wales, the teaching of Arthur and his 
Christian knights was remembered. 

But once again the story of Christ was brought to 
Britain, and you shall now hear how it happened. 

In those days slavery was allowed, that is, people used 
to buy and sell men and women, and little boys and girls, 
just as if they were cattle. 

The merchants who came to trade with Britain used 
to take away slaves to sell in far-off countries. One day 
a good man called Gregory was walking through the 
market-place in Rome. It was market day and the 
square was crowded with people buying and selling. It 
was very noisy and gay. Fine gentlemen strolled 
about, careful housewives went from stall to stall 
trying to find what was cheapest and best, friends 
met and chatted, and through all the noise and 
bustle Gregory walked with his head bent, deep in 
thought. 

Suddenly he stood still. He had been awakened from 
his dream by the sound of children's voices, and now he 
stopped to watch them, as they laughed and played 
together. These children had fair faces and rosy cheeks, 
their eyes were merry and blue, and their hair shone like 
gold in the sunshine. Gregory thought they were the 
prettiest children that he had ever seen. 

A very tender look came into Gregory's eyes as he 
stood and watched them playing. Then he sighed, for he 
saw by the chains round their necks that they were to be 
sold as slaves. *Poor children,' he said, 'so far from 
home ! ' He knew they must come from some far-off 
country because all the people in his own land had dark 
faces and black hair. 

' Where do these children come from ? ' he asked, 
turning to the man who had charge of them. 



THE STORY OF GREGORY 61 

*From the island called Britain,' replied the man 
* but the people are called Angles.' 

' Angles,' said Gregory, as he gently put his hand on 
their curly heads, ' nay, not Angles but angels they should 
be called.' 

The children could not understand what Gregory said, 
but they knew from his voice that it was something kind. 
They ceased their play, and stood round him, looking up 
trustingly into his face, with their big blue eyes. 

Gregory stroked their curly heads, and as he bent 
over them he felt love for the pretty fair-haired children 
grow in his heart. He asked many questions about them, 
and when he heard that they were heathen, he made up 
his mind to buy them and teach them to be Christians. 

Gregory took the pretty children home with him. He 
was very kind to them, and taught them how to grow up 
into good men and women. They loved him, you may 
be sure, and he loved them so much, that he made up his 
mind to go to Britain to teach all their brothers and 
sisters there to be Christians too. 

But the people of his own land were so fond of 
Gregory that they would not let him go. So, although it 
was a great sorrow to him, he was obliged to give up his 
plan. 

But Gregory did not forget about it. Some years 
after this he was made Bishop of Rome, and so became 
a very powerful and important person. And one of the 
first things he did after he became powerful was to send 
a good man called Augustine to preach about Christ to 
the Angles. 

Augustine took about forty other good men with him, 
and set out for Britain. We are not told if the pretty 
children, whom Gregory had bought in the Roman 
market-place so many years before, were among these 



62 OUR ISLAND STORY 

men, but I think very likely they were. They would be 
so glad to go back to their own country to teach their 
brothers and sisters all the good things they had learned 
from Gregory. 

It is a long way from Italy to England, and in those days 
when there were no trains and travelling was both difficult 
and dangerous, it seemed very long indeed. But after 
many adventures Augustine and his men arrived safely 
on the seashore of France. There they had to wait for 
a ship to take them across to Britain, or England as we 
must now call it. 

While they waited, Augustine and his men heard 
such stories about the fierceness of the Angles and the 
Saxons that they were frightened. They were so 
frightened that they turned back to Rome. 

W^hen Gregory heard that they had returned he was 
very angry. ' I am ashamed that you should be so cowardly,' 
he said to Augustine. ' Go back again. If the people 
of England kill you, you die for others, even as Christ did.' 

So Augustine set out again. This time he reached 
England, 

Although the Saxons were fierce and lawless, they 
treated Augustine and his followers very kindly. Ethel- 
bert, who was King of Kent, one of the seven kingdoms 
into which England was divided, was the first to listen 
to them. He was a heathen, but he had married a 
Christian lady, and so had already heard something of 
the story of Christ. Soon he and all his people were 
baptized. 

Augustine does not seem to have had any difficulty in 
persuading the Saxons to leave off worshipping idols. 
One would think that the heathen priests at least would 
have been very angry, and that they would have tried to 
stop the teaching of this new religion. But they did not. 



THE STORY OF GREGORY 63 

A story is told of a priest whose name was Coifi. 
He sat one day among the people listening very atten- 
tively to the story of God and Christ. When the 
preacher had finished speaking there was a great silence. 
This new religion seemed to the people to be very beauti- 
ful, but they were so accustomed to believing that their 
idols had power to punish them, if they neglected them or 
disobeyed them, that they were afraid. Then Coifi rose. 
'No one,' he said, 'has ever served the old gods more 
faithfully than I have. I have tried to believe in them all 
my life, yet they have never done anything to make me 
better or happier. This new teaching seems to me to be 
good. Let us destroy our old gods and turn to the 
teaching of Christ.' 

Then while the astonished people looked on in fear, 
Coifi took a spear in his hand, mounted upon a horse, 
and riding at full speed knocked over the great idol which 
for so many years he had worshipped as God. 

When the people saw their god fallen and broken, 
they trembled. They felt sure something dreadful would 
happen to Coifi for his wickedness. But nothing hap- 
pened. So, taking heart and following the example 
of Coifi, the people set fire to their temple, which was 
soon burned to the ground, and the idols with it. Then 
all the people were baptized and became Christians. 

After this Augustine and his men went through all 
the seven kingdoms of England. It took a long time, 
but at last the whole land became Christian, although of 
course the people did not learn all at once to live as good 
Christians ought 



CHAPTER XV 

HOW KING ALFRED LEARNED TO READ 

When the Saxons first came to England, they came only 
to fight and kill, but soon they began to love their new 
home and, when two or three hundred years had passed, 
they forgot that they had ever lived in any other country. 
So, instead of fighting against England, they began to 
fight for and love the land as their own. 

Then English kings arose who tried to make good 
laws and rule the people well, as some of the British 
kings had done. But just as the Romans had come to 
conquer Britain, and as the Saxons themselves had come, 
so now another people came. 

These new enemies were the Northmen or Danes. 
They came from the countries which we now call 
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. 

These Danes, as we shall call them all, were fierce, 
wild men. They loved to sail upon the sea ; they loved 
to fight. They were heathen too, just as the Saxons had 
been when they first came to England. 

Many and long were the battles which were fought 
between the English and the Danes, but year by year the 
Danes grew stronger, and the English weaker, till it 
seemed as if the land was going to be conquered once 
again. But at last a great English king, called Alfred, 
began to rule. He beat the Danes in many battles, and 
nearly drove them out of the country. 



HOW KING ALFRED LEARNED TO READ 65 

Alfred was the youngest son of Ethelwulf, who 
was King of Wessex, one of the seven kingdoms into 
which England was divided. He was also the grandson 
of Egbert, that king who changed the name of Britain to 
England. 

Although Ethelwulf was really king only of Wessex, 
he was ' over-lord ' over all the rulers of the other seven 
kingdoms of England. So you must remember, when 
we speak of the King of England at this time, that we do 
not mean that he was the only king in the land. But 
Wessex was the chief of the seven kingdoms, and the 
King of Wessex was the chief of the seven kings. In the 
end the King of Wessex became real king of all England, 
while the other kingdoms disappeared and their kings 
were forgotten. 

King Ethelwulf s wife was called Osburga. She was 
a good and wise woman, and a very kind mother to her 
little children. She was clever, too, and fond of reading, 
which was rather uncommon in those days when very few 
people could read or cared about it. 

In the time of the Romans, you remember, books were 
written on strips of parchment, and rolled up Uke maps. 
Now they were shaped and bound just like our books, 
only as there was no paper and no printing, they were 
still written on parchment and the pictures were all 
painted by hand. It took a long time to make a book, 
and required a great deal of money to buy one. 

One day when Alfred, the youngest son of King 
Ethelwulf, was quite a tiny boy, he was playing with his 
big brothers, while Osburga, his mother, sat watching 
them, and reading. 

The book she read was one of old English songs. 
Osburga was very fond of these songs, and used to say 
them to her little boys when they were tired of play. 

E 



66 OUR ISLAND STORY 

It was a pretty book, full of pictures and bright letters 
in gold, and blue, and red. 

As Osburga turned the pages Alfred saw the pretty 
pictures, so he left his play, and came to lean against his 
mother's knee, to look at them. 

* What a pretty book it is, mother ! ' he said. 

* Do you like it, little one ? ' said Osburga. 

* Yes, mother, I do,' replied Alfred. 

Then all the other boys came crowding round their 
mother to see the pretty book too. They pressed against 
her, and leaned over her shoulder till nothing was to be 
seen but five curly heads close together. 

' Oh, isn't it lovely ! ' they said, as Osburga slowly 
turned the pages, explaining the pictures, and letting 
them look at the beautiful coloured letters at the begin- 
nings of the songs. 

When Osburga saw how they all liked the book, she 
was very much pleased. She pushed them all away from 
her a little, and looked round their happy eager faces. 
You see in those days even kings' sons had no picture- 
books, such as every child has now, and it was quite 
a treat for these princes to be allowed to look at this 
beautiful one. 

' Do you truly like this book ? ' asked Osburga. 

' Oh yes, mother, we do,' they all answered at once. 

' Then, boys,' she said, * I will give it to the one who 
first learns to read it.' 

* O mother, do you mean it ? May I try too ? ' 
asked Alfred. 

*Yes, I do mean it, and, of course, you may try,' 
answered Osburga, smiling at him. And perhaps she 
hoped that he would win the prize, for both his father 
and his mother loved Alfred best of all tlieir children. 

And Alfred did win the prize. He was so eager to 



HOW KING ALFRED LEARNED TO READ 67 

have the book that he worked hard all day long. And 
one morning, while his big brothers were still trying to 
read the book, he came to his mother and read it without 
making any mistakes. 

Then Osburga kissed him and gave him the prize, as 
she had promised. All his life afterwards Alfred was fond 
of books ; and even when he became king, and had many, 
many other things to do, he still found time not only to 
read, but to write them. 



CHAPTER XVI 

KING ALFRED IN THE COWHERD'S COTTAGE 

When Ethelwulf, Alfred's father, died, each of his sons 
became king in turn. During these reigns the Danes 
became more and more troublesome. Nearly all the time 
was spent in fighting, so that the country came to be in 
a very sad state indeed. 

When Ethelred (who was the last of Ethelwulf s sons 
except Alfred) came to the throne, Alfred had grown to 
be a man, and although he was still very young, he helped 
his brother a great deal. And when Ethelred died, the 
people chose Alfred to be their king. For although 
Ethelred had two sons, they were little boys, and no one 
thought of making either of them king. The people 
knew that a strong and wise man was needed to rule 
in England, and Alfred was both strong and wise. 

No king has ever had to fight more bravely for his 
kingdom than Alfred had. When he came to the throne, 
the Danes were growing more and more bold. They did 
not now only come in their ships to plunder and rob, and 
then sail away again. They came now to live in the 
land, killing the people, and then taking their houses 
for themselves. 

So all the first years of Alfred's reign were spent in 
fighting these fierce enemies. But Alfred did not only 
fight bravely, he thought too. 



ALFRED IN THE COWHERD'S COTTAGE 69 

The Danes were brave and daring sailors, just as the 
Enghsh had been before they came to live in England. 
But somehow after the English settled down, they seem 
to have forgotten about how to build ships and how to 
sail upon the sea. 

But Alfred was wise and saw how much better it 
would be to stop the Danes before they landed at all. 
So he built ships and went in them to fight the Danes 
on the sea. 

In the year 875 a.d., King Alfred and his ships met 
the Danes and their ships and fought a great battle and 
won a great victory. That was the first of many, many 
sea-victories which the English have won, and ever since 
the days of Alfred, England has had a navy and Britannia 
has ruled the waves. 

' Ye mariners of England 
That guard our native seas, 
Whose flag has braved a thousand years 
The battle and the breeze ; 
Your glorious standard launch again 
To match another foe 
And sweep through the deep. 
While the stormy winds do blow ; 
While the battle rages loud and long. 
And the stormy winds do blow. 

Britannia needs no bulwarks, 

No towers along the steep ; 

Her march is on the mountain waves. 

Her home is on the deep. 

With thunders from her native oak 

She quells the floods below, 

As they roar on the shore. 

When the stormy winds do blow ; 

When the battle rages loud and long. 

And the stormy winds do blow.' 



70 OUR ISLAND STORY 

But even although Alfred gained this battle at sea, 
the Danes were not beaten altogether. Again and again 
Alfred had to fight, but at last he forced the Danes 
to make peace. They swore by a most solemn and 
dreadful oath that they would go away and never make 
war against the English again. This vow was taken with 
great ceremony. Sheep and cattle were killed and offered 
in sacrifice to the heathen gods, for the Danes, you 
remember, were heathen. A beautiful ring of gold, 
called the holy bracelet, was dipped in the blood of 
the animals. The bracelet was then placed upon an 
altar and, laying their hands upon it, the Danish chiefs 
swore to fight no more against the English. 

This was not the first time that the Danes had pro- 
mised to go away and fight no more, but they had always 
broken their promises. Now Alfred thought they would 
be sure to keep their word, because of the very solemn 
vow they had taken. 

But the Danes did not mean to keep this promise 
any more than the others. Very soon they came back 
again as bold as before, or bolder. Once more fierce 
battles raged, till at last, weary of fighting, and forsaken 
by nearly all his followers, Alfred was forced to hide for 
a time in the marshes of Somerset. 

This was the saddest part of Alfred's life. He was a 
king, yet he had neither crown nor royal robes, neither 
palace nor servants. He was so poor that he went to 
live in the cottage of a cowherd called Denewulf. His 
clothes were so old and worn that the cowherd's wife 
thought that he was a friend of her husband, and so she 
treated him as if he had been a common man and not 
a great king. 

One day Denewulfs wife was very busy. She had 
been baking cakes, and had still many things to do. 



ALFRED IN THE COWHERD'S COTTAGE 71 

Alfred meanwhile was sitting by the fire. He had been 
mending his bow and arrows, but they had dropped from 
his hand, for, thinking deeply about his kingdom and his 
people, and of how he could free them from the Danes, 
he had forgotten all else. 

It seemed to Denewulf s wife that Alfred was a lazy 
sort of fellow. She did not know the great matters he 
had to think of, and she wondered how any one could sit 
for hours by the fire doing nothing, while she and her 
husband had to work so hard. 

Now, she said to herself, this lazy fellow can at least 
look after my cakes, while I go to do something else. 

*Here, good man,' she said to him, 'just mind my 
cakes for me. And don't let them burn. When they 
are nice and brown on one side, turn them over on to the 

other side, like this ' and she showed him how 

to do it. 

* All right, good wife, I will look after your cakes for 
you,' replied Alfred. 

But when the good woman had gone, Alfred sank 
once more deep in thought. As he watched the cakes, 
he looked into the fire. Soon, in the red glow of the 
burning ashes, he saw wonderful things. The cakes and 
the cowherd's cottage vanished. Once again he was 
leading his army, his banner with its golden dragons 
fluttered in the breeze, his spear was in his hand, his 
crown upon his head. He heard the shout of his soldiers 
as they charged the Danes. The ranks of the enemy 
broke, they fled — to their ships they fled. Fast behind 
them came the English. They set fire to the Danish 
ships. He smelt the smoke as it rolled upward, heard 
the crackle of the flames, the shrieks of the dying, the 
shouts of victory. England was saved. 

Then suddenly he was awakened out of his dream by 



72 OUR ISLAND STORY 

a blow upon his shoulder, and an angry voice in his 
ear, 

* Canst thee not mind the cakes, man ? 
And doesn't thee see them burn ? 
I's bound thee '11 eat them fast enough 
As soon as 'tis thy turn.' 

Alas I the cakes, and not the Danish ships, were burn- 
ing. Alfred was a great king, but he had proved a poor 
cook, and the good wife was very angry. 

She scolded him well, little thinking that she was 
scolding her King. She was still rating when Denewulf 
came in. 

' Hush thee, woman, hush thee,' he said, ashamed and 
frightened. 

* Hush, shall I ? ' she cried angrily. ' The lazy loon, 
the idle good-for-naught, to sit by the fire, and see the 
cakes burn, and never stir a finger.' 

' Hush thee, woman,' said Denewulf again in despair. 
' It is the King.' 

* The King I ' cried the good wife, astonished, and a 
little frightened too. ' Well, king or no king,' she added 
grumblingly after a minute, ' he ought to have minded 
the cakes.' 

Alfred was not angry, as Denewulf feared he would 
be, and afterwards, when he came to his kingdom again, 
Alfred made the cowherd a bishop, for he had found out 
while hiding in his cottage that Denewulf was a good 
and wise man. So his wife became a great lady, and 
perhaps never baked any more cakes. Certainly she 
never again had a king to watch them for her. 



CHAPTER XVII 

MORE ABOUT ALFRED THE GREAT 

Soon Alfred was joined in his hiding-place in Somerset 
by his wife and children and a few of his nobles. They 
chose a hill which rose above the surrounding marshes for 
their camp, and there Alfred and his nobles worked like 
common men, building a strong fort. Because of this, the 
place was called Athelney, which means the Isle of Nobles. 

While Alfred worked on the Isle of Nobles, he sent 
messengers secretly among his people, telling them where 
he was. Soon a small but faithful band gathered round 
him. Then, one day, some of Alfred's friends suddenly 
attacked the Danes, won a victory, and seized the great 
Danish banner called the Raven. 

The Danes were very sad at the loss of this banner, 
for they believed it to be a magic one. They said that 
when they were going to win a battle the Raven would 
spread its wings as if to fly, but when they were going to 
lose, the Raven drooped its wings in sorrow. Now that 
their precious banner had been taken, they were always 
afraid of losing. 

This victory cheered the English very much, and 
when the people heard of it, more and more of them 
gathered round their king. 

Alfred now began to feel that the time for striking 
a blow had come. But first he wanted to find out exactly 
how many Danes there were and what plans they had. 

78 



74 OUR ISLAND STORY 

So he dressed himself like a minstrel or singer, and taking 
his harp, he went to the Danish camp. There he began 
to play upon his harp and to sing the songs he had 
earned when he was a boy. 

The Danes were a fierce, wild people, yet they loved 
music and poetry. They were delighted with Alfred's 
songs, and he was allowed to wander through the camp 
wherever he liked. 

Alfred stayed in the Danish camp for several days, 
singing his songs and playing sweet music, and all the 
time watching and listening. He found out how many 
Danes there were, and where the camp was strong and 
where it was weak. He listened to the king as he talked 
to his captains and, when he had learned everything he 
could, he slipped quietly away and went back to the Isle 
of Nobles. 

The Danes were sorry when they found that the 
gentle minstrel had gone. And little did they think that 
it was the great and brave King Alfred who had been 
singing and playing to them. 

Alfred now knew that his army was strong enough to 
fight the Danes. So he left his fort on the Isle of Nobles 
and boldly marched against them. A battle was fought 
in which the Danes were defeated, and from that time 
onwards Alfred was victorious. The dark days were over. 
The power of the Danes was crushed. Their king, 
Guthorm, submitted to Alfred, and even became a Chris- 
tian. When he was baptized, Alfred stood as godfather 
to him, and changed his name from Guthorm to the 
English name of JEthelstan. 

Then Alfred made a peace with the Danes, called the 
peace of Wedmore. And although the Danes did not 
leave England, they did not fight any more, and they left 
Wessex and kept within the land which was given to 




ALFRED FOUND MUCH PLEASURE IN READING' 



MORE ABOUT ALFRED THE GREAT 75 

them in the north. Afterwards, this part was called the 
Danelagh or Daneland. 

And now it was, in the time of peace, that Alfred 
began to do great things for his people, the things by 
which he earned his name of Alfred the Great. He 
collected the laws and wrote them out so that people 
could understand them. He did away with the laws 
which he thought were bad, and made others. One law 
he made was, that a man who had done wrong could not 
be punished unless twelve men agreed that he really had 
been wicked, and ought to be punished. This was called 
trial by jury, and means trial by those who have promised 
to do justly. Our word jury comes from a Latin word 
which means to promise or swear. 

It was a very good law, for sometimes if a man hated 
another man he w^ould say he had done something wicked, 
in order to have him punished. But when twelve men 
had to agree about it, it was not easy to have an innocent 
person unjustly punished. 

Alfred was much loved. He made good laws, and 
the people kept them. They kept them so well, that it is 
said that golden chains and bracelets might be hung upon 
the hedges and no one would touch them. 

King Alfred was fond of reading and learning, and he 
tried to make his people fond of learning too. In those 
days the monasteries were the chief places to which people 
went to learn. But the Danes had destroyed nearly all 
the monasteries, so Alfred began to build them again, and 
he also founded schools. Then, as nearly all the books 
which were worth reading were written in Latin, he 
translated into English several of the best he had read. 
He did this because he saw how much more difficult it 
was for people to learn to read when they had to do so in 
a foreign language. 



76 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Alfred built more great ships, and sent people into 
far countries to bring back news of them to England. 
He encouraged the English to make all kinds of things, 
in order to trade with these far-off countries. In fact, 
during all his life Alfred was thinking only of his people 
and of what was best for them. 

You will wonder how he found time to do all these 
things, and indeed it is wonderful, especially in those 
days when there were no clocks to strike the hours and 
remind people how time was flying. 

Yet Alfred divided the day into three parts : eight 
hours for work, eight hours for study, and eight hours 
for rest. He invented a kind of clock for himself He 
had great candles made which were marked off into parts, 
each part burning for an hour. A man watched the 
candle and, when the flame burned down to the mark, 
he went to the King, and said, ' O king, another hour 
has fled.' 

Alfred was good, and wise and kind. There never 
was a better king in England. He had to fight many 
battles, and war is terrible and cruel, but he did not 
fight for the love of conquering, as other kings did. 
He fought only to save his country and his people. 
We never hear of him doing one unjust or unkind act. 
He was truthful and fearless in everything. It is no 
wonder, then, that we call him Alfred the Great, Alfred 
the Truthteller, England's Darling. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

ETHELRED THE UNREADY 

Alfred died in 901 a.d. and his son, Edward, became 
king after him. He is called Edward the Elder, because 
he was the first of a great many kings of that name. 
He was a good king and was greatly helped by his 
sister, Ethelfleda, who was called the Lady of Mercia. 
She was a brave, wise woman and, like Boadicea, often 
led her soldiers in battle. For the Danes began to be 
troublesome again, and Edward and Ethelfleda had to 
fight many battles with them. 

When Edward the Elder and Ethelfleda both died, 
Edward's son, Athelstane, came to the throne. He, too, 
was a good king, and he, too, had to fight with the Danes. 
After him came six kings who have been called the * boy 
kings,' because they were all so young when they came 
to the throne. Some of these boy kings were wise 
and good, and all of them had to fight with the Danes. 

Year by year the Danes were becoming more and 
more powerful in England. They not only came and 
went in their ships, but many more of them settled in the 
country. They made their homes in England and forgot 
about their old homes in Denmark. That would not 
have mattered much, if they had become good English 
subjects, willing to obey an English king. But that is 
what they did not do. Instead, they rebelled always 
against the king, and so wars and fighting went on. 

77 



78 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Now you shall hear about the last of the *boy kings.' 
His name was Ethelred, and because he was foolish and 
slow, he was also called the Unready. He lived about 
a hundred years after Alfred. 

In his reign everything seemed to go wrong. The 
Danes soon found out what a foolish man he was, and 
they came in greater numbers than ever. Ethelred had 
not spirit enough to be a good leader. He was never 
sure of what he wanted to do, so his soldiers lost heart 
and his captains quarrelled among themselves. 

He built ships, but they were shattered by storms. 
The city of London caught fire by accident and was 
burnt to the ground. Everywhere there was misery 
and misfortune. 

Then Ethelred thought of an unhappy plan for 
ridding the country of the Danes. He said to them, * I 
will give you a large sum of money if you will go away.' 

The Danes, of course, were delighted at the idea of 
getting money so easily, and they gladly promised. Ethel- 
red gave them the gold, and they sailed away and the 
English people rejoiced. 

But the Danes, as you know, were never careful 
about keeping their promises. They went home, it is 
true, but when they had spent all the money which 
Ethelred had given them, they said, *Let us go to 
England again and rob the people. Perhaps their foolish 
king will give us more money.' 

And so they sailed to England. Ethelred again gave 
them money to go back to Denmark ; again they sailed 
away, but when the money was spent, once more they 
returned. 

Over and over again the same thing happened, 
Ethelred always giving the Danes larger and larger sums, 
for they grew more and more greedy when they saw 



ETHELRED THE UNREADY 79 

how easy it was to make the foolish English king give 
them money. 

How did Ethelred get all the money which he gave 
to the Danes ? Was it his own ? No. In order to get 
the money, Ethelred taxed the people, that is, he made 
each person pay a certain sum every year, and this was 
called Danegelt or Danemoney. 

The English were already accustomed to pay taxes 
for various things, and at first they did not mind paying 
this new one. Indeed they were glad to do it, in the 
hope of getting rid of their terrible enemies. But when 
the Danes returned time after time, when year by year 
the tax grew heavier and heavier, the people grew weary 
of it, and angry. 

* We strive and toil,' they said, ' to earn money, that 
we may live in peace and comfort, but it is of no use. 
The King takes our money and gives it to these idle 
heathen. We will work and pay no more.' So the 
people grew moody, and the country was in greater 
misery than before. 

Then Ethelred thought of another plan by which to 
get rid of the Danes. This plan was both terrible and 
wicked. 

He sent messengers into every part of England, telling 
the English that, on the 13th of November, they were to 
kill all the Danes, men, women and children. 

This was a most cruel and wicked order. Besides, it 
was not the Danes who were living in England who 
gave the greatest trouble, but those who year by 
year came across the sea in their ships, to plunder and 
kill. But Ethelred was weak and cowardly. He dared 
not fight the fierce sea-kings as they were called, so he 
thought he would murder their peaceful brothers and 
sisters. 



80 OUR ISLAND STORY 

And the most dreadful thing is that Englishmen all 
over the country were found willing to carry out the 
cruel order. Yet we must not think too hardly of these 
old EngUshmen, for they had suffered so much from 
the Danes that it was little wonder that they hated 
them. 

Even those Danes, who were living peaceably in 
England, were so proud and haughty that the English 
hated them. They always thought they should have 
the best of everything, they expected to be called ' Lord 
Dane,' they treated the English like slaves, and if an 
Englishman and a Dane met in a narrow passage or on 
a bridge the Englishman had to go back until * my Lord 
Dane ' had passed. 

So when the 13th of November came, the English- 
men rose and slaughtered the Danes, every one, man, 
woman and child, rich and poor, high and low. None 
were saved. 

Among those who were killed was the Princess 
Gunhilda, sister of the King of Denmark. She had 
married an English lord and was living with him in 
England. She was not only very beautiful, but good. 
The Danes were heathen, but Gunhilda had become 
Christian, and in her gentle way she tried to bring about 
peace between the English and the Danes. 

When the terrible slaughter began, and the air was 
filled with shrieks, Gunhilda's husband, son and servants 
gathered round her, to protect her. Bravely they fought 
for her, but all in vain. First her husband and then 
her son fell dead at her feet, pierced by many spears. 

Then a cruel man seized the beautiful Gunhilda by 
the hair and buried his sword in her heart. 

'Alas!* she said, as she sank dying to the ground, 
*my death will bring great sorrow upon England.' 



CHAPTER XIX 

HOW EDMUND IRONSIDE FOUGHT FOR THE CROWN 

GuNHiLDA was right. This act of Ethelred's proved to 
be not only wicked, but fooHsh, and it brought great 
sorrow upon England. For as soon as Sweyn, King of 
Denmark, heard of the cruel murder, he determined to 
avenge his sister's death. Gathering a great company of 
soldiers and a most wonderful fleet of ships, he set sail 
for England. 

Over the blue waves came the fierce sea-kings in their 
splendid ships, with purple sails and glittering, golden 
prows. Beasts and birds, dragons and serpents were 
carved upon the painted and gilded ships, and it seemed 
as if all the monsters of fairyland were gathered to terrify 
and conquer the people of England. 

No storm stayed the ships. Soft winds blew gently 
over sunny sparkling waters, as nearer and nearer they came. 
Never before had the Danes come in such splendour and 
such force. The frightened people fled as these fierce sea- 
warriors landed, and where they landed, and on through all 
the country, wherever they passed, they left behind them 
a track of death and desolation. The people were killed, 
the towns were burned, the crops and cattle trampled 
and destroyed ; hunger, misery and tears filled the land. 
Ethelred, weak and cowardly as ever, deserting his 
country in the hour of need, fled to France with his 
wife and children. 



82 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Ethelred fled to France because his wife, Emma, 
was the daughter of the Duke of Normandy. Normandy- 
is part of France. Queen Emma's father received them 
kindly, and no doubt Ethelred enjoyed himself very 
much at the Norman court, riding and hunting, and quite 
forgetting his poor country. 

So Sweyn, King of Denmark, was master of England. 
But though he was proclaimed king, he never wore the 
crown, for he died suddenly, leaving the throne to his 
son Canute. 

But Englishmen could not forget the great Alfred 
and his good sons. They longed to have a king of their 
own people again. So when Sweyn died, they sent 
messengers to France, begging Ethelred to come back, 
and promising to be true to him and to fight for him, if 
only he would rule a little better than he had done. 

Ethelred came back, and had he had a little courage, 
he might soon liave won all England again. For his 
people were ready and willing to die for their country. 
They only waited for a brave man to lead them. But 
Ethelred was neither better nor wiser than before. Soon 
his soldiers lost heart again, and some of them even 
deserted and went to fight for Canute the Dane. This, 
too, in spite of all that Edmund Ironside, the brave 
son of Ethelred, could do. 

Edmund was called Ironside because of his strength 
and courage. He tried to keep the army together, but 
he could not hide his father's cowardice and weakness 
from the soldiers. Soon, however, Ethelred died, and 
the people immediately crowned Edmund king. 

But some of the wise men and nobles thought it 
was of no use to try to fight against the Danes any 
longer, so they crowned Canute king. Thus there were 
two kings in England, an English king and a Danish, 



EDMUND IRONSIDE 83 

and the wars between the two nations continued as 
fiercely as ever. 

But now the English had a wise king and brave 
leader. That was all they asked. They took heart again 
and joyfully followed him. Five great battles were 
fought, and in nearly all of them the English were vic- 
torious. That seems to show that it was truly Ethelred's 
fault that the English were ever beaten. He did not love 
his people, and he did not care what happened to them. 
He thought only of his own pleasure and comfort. 

But Edmund Ironside was different. He thought only 
of his country, and although he was winning battle after 
battle, it made him sad and sick at heart to see his people 
die. The horror of war had filled the land for so many 
years that he longed for peace. 

One day as the two armies lay opposite each other 
ready for battle, Edmund sat in his tent sad and weary. 
The summer sun shone on unploughed fields and ruined 
homes. All around there was sorrow and desolation. As 
Edmund looked across the land with sad eyes, he thought 
to himself that he would gladly die, if he could bring 
peace to his dear country. 

He sat some time in thought, then suddenly calling 
one of his captains, he said to him, ' Go to Canute the 
Dane. Say to him that I, Edmund Ironside, King of 
England, send him greeting, that, weary of battle and 
death, I challenge him to fight in single combat with 
me alone. He who dies shall die and be buried as befits 
a king. He who lives shall be ruler over all England.' 

The captain bowed low before the King, and mounting 
upon his horse, he rode off to the Danish camp with 
this strange message. 

When Canute heard it, he sat silently thinking for 
some time. Then turning to the messenger, he said, *Go, 



84 OUR ISLAND STORY 

tell Edmund Ironside that I will meet him and, please 
God, although I am the lesser man, I shall conquer him 
and still be King of England.' 

Both kings then arrayed themselves in splendid 
armour with shield and sword and spear, and rode out 
to fight. The two armies stood around watching in hope 
and fear. At first the kings fought with their spears 
while riding upon their horses, then leaping to the ground 
they attacked each other fiercely with their swords. 

Both were strong, but Edmund was the taller, and 
Canute soon began to feel that he was being beaten. So 
in a loud voice he cried out, * Why should we fight thus ? 
Two kings as we should be brothers, not enemies. Let 
us stop fighting, and divide the kingdom and be at peace.' 

Then King Edmund, throwing down his sword, held 
out his hands to Canute. ' Brother,' he said, ' we will be 
kings together.' 

So once more England was divided. Edmund Iron- 
side, the Englishman, ruled over the south part, and 
Canute the Dane ruled over the north part, and there 
was peace in the land. But this did not last for long, 
for very soon Edmund died. Altogether he had only 
reigned seven months, and much of that time had been 
spent in fighting, yet he had done more for his people 
than Ethelred had done in many years. 



CHAPTER XX 

CANUTE AND THE WAVES 

When Edmund Ironside died, Canute became king over 
all England, as it had been agreed between them that 
whoever lived the longest should have the whole kingdom. 
Edmund had two sons, and Canute was afraid that the 
people might wish to make one of them king, so he sent 
them both to a far-off country called Hungary. Perhaps 
it was wrong to banish these children, but at least it was 
better than killing them, as some people say he wanted 
to do. 

Canute did not begin by being a good king. At first 
he was bad and cruel. But he ended by being very good 
and wise. In fact he seems to have ruled so well that 
the English came to love him almost as if he had been 
an English king. 

They loved him, but they flattered him too. He was 
certainly a great king, for he ruled not only over England, 
but over Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The nobles 
thought it pleased Canute to be told of his greatness, so 
they used often to let him hear them praise him. 

One day as they were walking upon the seashore, the 
nobles began, as usual, to tell Canute how powerful 
he was. 

* All England obeys you,' they said. 

* And not only England, but Denmark, Norway, and 
Sweden.' 



86 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' Should you desire it, you need but command all the 
nations of the world and they will kneel before you as 
their king and lord.' 

*You are king on sea and land. Even the waves 
obey you.' 

Now this was foolish talk, and Canute, who was a 
wise man, did not like it. He thought he would teach 
these silly nobles a lesson. So he ordered his servants 
to bring a chair. 

When they had brought it, he made them set it on 
the shore, close to the waves. The servants did as they 
were told, and Canute sat down, while the nobles stood 
around him. 

Then Canute spoke to the waves. ' Go back,' he said, 
* I am your lord and master, and I command you not to 
flow over my land. Go back, and do not dare to wet my 
feet.' 

But the sea, of course, neither heard nor obeyed him. 
The tide was coming in, and the waves rolled nearer and 
nearer, until the king's feet and robe were wet. 

Then Canute rose, and turning sternly to his nobles 
said, 'Do you still tell me that I have power over the 
waves ? Oh ! foolish men, do you not know that to God 
alone belongs such power. He alone rules earth and sky 
and sea, and we and they alike are His subjects, and must 
obey Him.' 

The nobles felt how foolish they had been, and did 
not again try to flatter Canute in such a silly way. From 
that day, too, Canute never wore his crown, but placed it 
upon the figure of Christ in the minster at Winchester, as 
a proof of his humility. From this story we learn that 
Canute was a Christian, although many of the Danes were 
still heathen, but no doubt they very soon followed the 
example of their king, and became Christians too. 



CANUTE AND THE WAVES 87 

Gradually the differences between the Danes and the 
English passed away. The Danes began to forget that 
they had ever lived in any other country, and lived like 
Englishmen, taking English ways and customs for their 
own. So once more England became a united kingdom. 
But this, of course, did not happen all at once. It was 
many years before the English and the Danes quite forgot 
their quarrels. 

As Canute had other countries to govern as well as 
England, he felt the need of some one to help him to 
rule. So he divided England into four earldoms, and 
placed an earl over each part. These earls ruled the 
kingdom under the king. Over the part which was called 
Wessex, Canute placed a man named Godwin, who after- 
wards became of very great importance in English 
history. 

In the year 1035 a.d. King Canute died, and was 
buried in the minster at Winchester. 

After him his two sons, Harold Harefoot and Hardi- 
canute, reigned. Neither of them was good and, at the 
death of Hardicanute, the English were easily persuaded 
by Earl Godwin not to have any more Danish rulers. 
Following his advice they chose Edward, the son of 
Ethelred the Unready, to be their king. 



CHAPTER XXI 

EDWARD THE CONFESSOR 

You remember that, when the Danes invaded England in 
the time of Sweyn, Canute's father, Ethelred, who was 
then king, fled to France with his wife and children. 
After Ethelred's death Edmund Ironside, one of his sons, 
became king, shared the kingdom with Canute, and died 
after a reign of only seven months. Edward, whom the 
English now chose to be king, was Edmund Ironside's 
brother, another son of King Ethelred the Unready. 

Edward was a boy when he was first taken to Nor- 
mandy, so although he was English, he had lived all his 
life m Normandy, and he liked the Normans better than 
the English. 

He brought Norman friends over from France with 
him. The Norman language, Norman customs and 
fashions were soon heard and seen everywhere in 
England. 

It had been greatly through the advice of Godwin, 
Earl of Wessex, that Edward had been chosen, and now 
the earl was sorry when he found that the king seemed 
not to be English, but Norman. 

However, Godwin thought that an English wife 
might make Edward love England better, so he persuaded 
the King to marry his daughter Edith. But although 
Edward married this beautiful and good lady, he never 



EDWARD THE CONFESSOR 89 

loved her. Indeed, although he was perhaps not really 
cruel to her, he was not kind, and he hardly ever even 
spoke to her. So she had no chance of making him love 
England better. 

The Normans, like the Danes, were very proud and 
haughty. And Edward's friends behaved so haughtily 
towards the English, that very soon they were hated, 
just as the Danes had been hated. The hatred grew and 
grew, and at last it broke out into fighting. 

It happened that one of Edward's friends, called 
Eustace, Count of Boulogne, was going back to France, 
after having visited the King. Like most of the Normans 
Eustace was proud, and he and his company rode into 
Dover, on their way to their ships, with jingling swords 
and clanking armour, making a great noise and stir, and 
behaving as if the whole town belonged to them. 

They went to the best houses, rudely demanding food 
and lodging. They entered the houses without leave, and 
took what they wanted without a word of thanks. 

Now the English have ever been hospitable, but an 
Englishman's house is his castle. He will give freely, but 
he does not like to be bullied and robbed. So one brave 
man refused to allow the Normans to enter his house. 
Angry at that, a Norman soldier struck him in the face. 
The man returned the blow. It was enough. In a few 
minutes a fierce fight had begun, the Normans against 
the men of Dover. 

The Englishmen fought well. They were glad to 
have a chance of showing their dislike of the Normans, 
they beat them thoroughly, and drove them out of the 
town. 

Back to King Edward rode Count Eustace in furious 
rage. * See,' he cried, bursting into the room where the 
King was, * see how these Englishmen of yours have 



90 OUR ISLAND STORY 

treated us. They set upon us as we rode peaceably- 
through Dover. They have killed twenty of my men, 
and I myself have barely escaped with my life. Is this 
the way to treat your friend and guest, my lord king ? ' 

Count Eustace, you see, did not tell the story truly. 
He did not tell King Edward that he and his men had 
begun the quarrel and were to blame. 

King Edward was very angry with the English. He 
sent at once for Earl Godwin, as Dover was in his earl- 
dom. Godwin came, but when he had heard the story 
of the fight, he felt sure that the fault was not all on the 
side of the English. So when the King told him to take 
an army and go to punish the brave men of Dover, he 
refused. * You have only heard one side of the story,' he 
said. 'You have no right to blame or punish the 
Englishmen until you have heard what they have to say. 
I will not go.' 

King Edward was so angry at this, that he banished 
Earl Godwin and his sons from the land, and gave their 
earldoms to other people. Then he shut Queen Edith 
up in a convent, because she was Godwin's daughter. 

Now there was no one to hinder the King from doing 
just as he wanted. He brought more people than ever 
from France, and among them came his cousin, the 
Duke of Normandy. 

Wilham of Normandy only came for a visit, but many 
of the other nobles remained in England, and Edward 
gave them all the best places at court. 

William thought England was a very beautiful 
country, and before he went away he made Edward 
promise that he should be king next. And Edward was 
so fond of his cousin that he promised. 

Of course Edward had no right to do this. He could 
not give away the crown of England to any one without 



EDWARD THE CONFESSOR 91 

the consent of the people. And certainly the people did 
not wish a Norman king. The kings of England had 
really no power to act in great matters without calling 
together a council of the nobles and wise men. The 
English had always been a free people, who had a 
share in governing themselves. Their kings had been 
kings, not tyrants. 

Nearly all the chief men at court were now Normans, 
and the people longed for Godwin and his sons to return 
and free them from these hated strangers. At last they 
did return. 

Edward was angry when he heard that these banished 
men had come back without leave. But the people 
rejoiced and flocked to join the great earl, and it seemed as 
if there might be war. But there was none. Earl Godwin 
was very clever, and somehow he forced the king to 
send away his Norman favourites, and put Englishmen in 
their places, without any fighting at all. The Frenchmen 
fled back to their own country, and things went better 
in England. 

Soon after this, Earl Godwin died and his son Harold 
took his place. During what remained of Edward's reign 
it was really Harold who ruled, for the king was growing 
old and feeble. And Harold governed well, for love of 
England filled his heart. He even banished his own 
brother, Tostig, who was Earl of Northumbria, because 
he governed his earldom badly. This was a difficult 
thing for Harold to do. But although he loved his 
brother, he loved his country more, and when he had to 
choose between them, he chose his country. 

Now a very sad thing happened which, together with 
Edward's foolish promise, made a great difference in the 
lives of the English people, and perhaps changed all our 
island story. 



92 OUR ISLAND STORY 

One day Harold was sailing upon the sea when a 
terrible storm arose. The sailors worked hard and tried 
to get into a safe port, but it was of no use. The masts 
were broken, the sails torn away. The ship drifted 
helplessly, and at last was dashed to pieces on the rocky 
coast of Normandy. Harold and some of the sailors 
escaped drowning, but they fell into the hands of Duke 
William. 

Now Duke William had never forgotten what a 
beautiful country England was, and he still hoped to be 
its king. He knew that Harold was a very great man 
in England, and he was glad to have him in his power. 

Duke William pretended to treat Harold very kindly, 
but he really kept him prisoner. He would not let him 
go home until he promised to help him to become king 
when Edward died. 

At last Harold promised. Now of course Harold had 
no more right to do this than Edward had. But there was 
more excuse for Harold than for Edward, because the 
King was a free man in his own country, while Harold was 
a prisoner in a foreign country, and to make this promise 
was his only hope of freedom. We must blame Harold 
for making a promise which he did not mean to keep, 
but we must blame William more for forcing him to make 
it, as he took a mean advantage of a helpless prisoner. 

Harold went home, glad to be free, but sad at heart at 
the remembrance of what William had forced him to do, 
and hating the Normans more than ever. 

Very soon after this, on 5th January 1066 a.d., King 
Edward died. He was buried with great pomp and 
ceremony in the grand new church at Westminster, which 
he had built and which had been finished only a few days 
before. 

King Edward on the whole was a good king, but he 



EDWARD THE CONFESSOR 93 

had not those things in him which make a great king. 
He was gentle and pious, and after his death people began 
to think that he was really a holy man and called him 
Edward the Confessor, by which name we remember him 
in history. 

If his reign was a happy one for England, it was partly 
because the great Earl Godwin and his noble son Harold 
were so powerful that they forced the King to act justly. 

Edward did not feel as all great kings must feel, that 
they are put in their high position, not to please them- 
selves but to do what is best for their people. Edward 
did not love his people, and he pleased himself by bringing 
his proud Norman friends from France, and by giving them 
all the chief posts in England. He thought more about 
building churches and buying relics or bones of holy men, 
long since dead, than of strengthening his castles and 
trying to make the lives of his people peaceful and happy. 
This and his foolish promise to his cousin, Duke William 
of Normandy, brought great sorrow upon the country. 



CHAPTER XXII 

HAROLD 

When Edward the Confessor died, the people chose 
Harold Godwin to be their king, although he was not 
the real heir to the throne. The real heir was Edgar 
^theling, Edward's grand-nephew and grandson of 
Edmund Ironside, that king who had such a short and 
troubled reign and who fought so bravely against Canute 
the Dane. 

But Edgar iEtheling was only a little boy. It 
seemed to the people as if he was not even an English 
boy, because he had lived all his life in a far-off country 
called Hungary, to which Canute had banished his father, 
and had come to England only a few months before 
Edward, his grand-uncle, had died. He did not under- 
stand the English language nor English ways, so nearly all 
the people looked upon him as a stranger. They were 
very tired of the strangers and foreigners with whom 
Edward had filled his court, and so they said, 'Let us 
have a real Englishman to rule over us, and one who is 
brave and wise.' 

They knew Harold was brave, for he had already led 
them many times in battle. They knew that he was 
wise, because Edward, during the last years of his life, 
had been very ill and weak, and had allowed Harold to 
rule for him. And above all they knew Harold bitterly 
hated Edward's friends, the Norman nobles, and they 

94 



HAROLD 95 

were sure he would drive them out of the country. But 
they did not know what was perhaps Harold's chief reason 
for hating the Normans. They did not know that he had 
promised the crown of England to the most powerful of 
them all, William, Duke of Normandy. 

So it came about that the day after Edward the Con- 
fessor was buried, the people crowded again to the grand 
new church at Westminster. This time they came to see 
the new king crowned. The church was filled with the 
nobles and the great people of the land. Outside the 
common folk and those who could not get inside waited, 
impatient to know what was happening. 

It was in the beginning of January, and the weather 
was bitterly cold, but the people did not seem to mind 
that, so eager were they to see their new king as he 
passed. Although the wind blew keenly from the north, 
the sky was blue, and the winter sun shone brightly on 
the gay colours of their holiday clothes, making the gold 
ornaments of the women, and the helmets and shields of 
the soldiers, glitter and sparkle. 

The day before, the streets had been full of grave and 
mourning crowds, sorrowing for the death of their king. 
This day there was no mourning, everything seemed 
joyful and glad, and hope shone in the faces of all. Only 
here and there in the crowd could be seen a few 
scowling Normans, but they soon slunk away, afraid of 
the fierce looks and angry words with which the Saxons 
greeted them. 

Within the church all was solemn and quiet. After 
earnest prayer to God, the Archbishop of York, holding 
the crown in his hand, turned to the people. Harold 
knelt humbly at the steps of the high altar, while a 
breathless hush filled the great church from end to end. 
Then in the silence the voice of the old archbishop rang 



96 OUR ISLAND STORY 

out clear and sharp, 'Do you choose Harold, Earl of 
Wessex, son of Godwin, to be your king ? ' 

Like the thunder of the waves as they break upon the 
beach came the answer, ' We do, we do.' 

The words sounded again and again through the aisles 
of the great church, echoing and re-echoing from the 
vaulted roof, till it seemed as if all England had answered. 
Outside the church the people took up the cry, ' Harold, 
son of Godwin, Harold, son of Godwin, Harold the 
Englishman for our king,' 

In the silence which followed, Harold placed his hands 
between those of the archbishop, and promised to fear 
God, to rule wisely, and to keep the laws of the land. 

Then the archbishop, speaking solemn words, anointed 
him with holy oil, placed the crown of England upon his 
head, and the sceptre in his hand. 

Harold rose from his knees, no longer Earl of Wessex, 
but King of England. As he turned to the people he 
looked so brave, handsome, and kingly, that a cry of 
love and gratitude rose from them, and once again the 
arches of the great church rang with shouts. One after 
another the lords and mighty men of England passed 
before their king. They knelt to him, promising to be 
true to him, to fight for and obey him, just as he had 
promised them that he would try to rule well and be a 
good king. 

At last the solemn ceremony was over. Harold 
passed down the long aisles, followed by the archbishop 
and bishops in their splendid robes, and the lords and 
knights in their shining armour. Out of the dim church 
into the open air they went ; out into the sunshine where 
the people were waiting for their king. When Harold 
appeared, wearing the crown and royal robes and carrying 
the sceptre in his hand, they shouted and cheered again 



HAROLD 97 

and again for joy. * Harold for ever ; Harold the King ! ' 
they cried. 

So Harold was crowned, and all England was glad 
and at peace. 

But the peace and the gladness did not last long. As 
soon as Harold was crowned, the few Normans who still 
remained in England fled to Normandy. They went to 
Rouen, the town in Normandy where Duke William 
lived. 

Nowadays, if one wants to speak to a king, or great 
prince, it is not always easy, for soldiers and servants 
guard the doors. But in those days it was much more easy, 
so one of these Normans who fled from England went to 
find Duke William, for he knew he had great news to 
tell. William was out hunting when this messenger 
from England arrived. He was so eager to tell the news 
that he could not wait until the duke returned, but 
followed him into the park. He searched about for some 
time, and at last saw William riding towards him sur- 
rounded by all his lords and ladies, his falcon on his 
wrist, and his bow in his hand. The duke looked so 
splendid and powerful that the messenger was almost 
afraid to tell the news he brought. ' My lord,' he said, 
dropping on his knees, ' Edward, King of England, is 
dead.' 

Duke William's bright eyes shone with joy. 

* Ah I ' he exclaimed. 

' And Harold, son of Godwin, is crowned king in his 
stead,' went on the man. 

Then Duke William's eyes flashed fire, his bow 
dropped from his hand, his face grew red and dark with 
anger. 

' The Saxon dog, the oath-breaker,' he thundered, in 
a voice which made those who heard him tremble. Then 

G 



98 OUR ISLAND STORY 

he was silent, and those around him were silent too, 
trembling in fear before the awful wrath of their lord. 

For many minutes William sat in dumb rage, 
clasping and unclasping the rich cloak which fell from 
his shoulders. Then, still without uttering a word, he 
turned and rode back to his palace. He seemed neither 
to see nor hear anything, but throwing himself on a 
couch, he buried his face in his cloak, and gave himself 
up to angry thoughts. 

His courtiers stood round whispering and frightened. 
At last one, more bold than the others, went up to him, 
and laying his hand upon the duke's shoulder, ' Rouse 
yourself, my lord,' he said, ' you have a message to send 
to Harold Godwinson, before the common folk hear how 
he has insulted you.' 

* Ay, that have I,' said William fiercely. Then he 
called for the man who had brought the news. 

He came in fear and trembling, but William only 
looked darkly at him. 'Go,' he said after a pause, *go 
back to England. Tell Harold Godwinson (he would 
not call him King Harold) that I, William of Normandy, 
demand the crown and throne of England. Tell him if 
he will not give it peaceably, that I will come and take it 
by force.' 

So the messenger returned to England, and came to 
Harold as he was sitting in state surrounded by his lords 
and nobles. Harold listened quietly to the message. 
Then in a clear and calm voice he replied, ' Go tell your 
master that the crown and throne of England are not 
mine to give and take at will. Tell him that the people 
of England have given them to me in trust, and that 
while I live, I will keep and guard them as best I can. 
Let William of Normandy beware ! ' 

When the messenger returned to Rouen with this 



HAROLD 99 

message, William's anger was terrible. At first he could 
neither speak nor think for rage, but soon he recovered 
himself and called all his lords together. He asked them 
to go with him over the sea, to help him to fight Harold 
and make himself King of England. 

But his lords and nobles refused. 'It is a very 
dangerous thing to do,' they said. 'These English are 
a great and brave people. They will kill us all. We 
will not go.' 

Although William was lord over these men, he could 
not force them to go across the sea with him. He could 
only ask them to go. He was very angry with them for 
refusing, so he broke up the council and sent all the 
nobles away. Then he made each one come to him alone, 
and tried to persuade them, one by one, to go with him 
over the sea to England. 

But it was of no use, one after another they refused. 
' It is all very well for you,' they said, ' if you win you 
will have the crown of England ; but as for us, those of us 
who are not killed will return poorer than before. We 
will not go.' 

Then Duke William said, ' If you will only come 
with me I will give you fair lands, strong castles, and 
great stores of money. England is a rich country, and 
when I have conquered the people, I will take their lands 
and money away from them and give them to you.' 

Then all the nobles answered, ' We will go.' 

After that they went to their own homes to gather 
their soldiers together, and to prepare armour and weapons 
for battle. But William was not content with the soldiers 
which his own Norman nobles had promised. He sent 
messengers into all parts of France, with the promise of 
land and money as reward, to every one who would come 

to fight for him. 

I. OF U 



100 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Very many came. From far and near they flocked 
to the court of William, glad at the thought of possess- 
ing the green fields and broad forest lands of England. 

But William had not ships enough to carry so large 
a company over the sea, so he bought ships, and made 
people build them for him, paying sometimes with money, 
sometimes with promises of English land. 

Never was such a wonderful army and so great a fleet 
gathered together in so short a time. 

But William was a great leader. He was fierce, 
strong, and determined. He had set his heart on being 
King of England, and King of England he meant to be. 
So night and day he planned and worked, persuading 
and forcing people in one way or another to help him. 



CHAPTEK XXIII 

THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE 

Meanwhile Harold was ruling England quietly and 
well. The people loved him, and were glad they had 
chosen such a brave and generous man to rule over them. 
Harold was kind to every one, but he was specially kind 
to Edgar ^theling. He knew that it would have been 
a very bad thing for England had the people chosen an 
ignorant little boy as king. Yet he felt sorry for Edgar, 
and tried to make him grow into a brave and honest 
English boy. 

Harold kept the good laws which had been made 
before the time of Edward, and altered the unjust ones. 
He was always thinking of the happiness of his people 
and the good of his country. Often and often he looked 
anxiously across the blue sea to the shores of France, 
watching for the white sails of Duke William's ships. 

Months passed, and still they did not appear. But 
Harold knew that one day they would come although 
Wilham sent no more messages. Harold's friends crossed 
the sea to find out what the great duke was doing. 
They brought back news of the mighty army which was 
gathering on the shores of the river Dive. So Harold 
watched and waited, and he too gathered together men 
and horses, swords and armour. 

Often King Harold sighed to see that there were no 

101 



102 OUR ISLAND STORY 

strong castles and fortresses to guard the shores of his 
dear land. For Edward, instead of building ships and 
castles to keep the country safe from enemies, had spent 
his people's money in building great churches, and in 
buying the bones of holy men who had lived and died long, 
long ago. These bones, he foolishly thought, would keep 
wicked men away from his shores. 

One day while Harold watched and waited for the 
coming of William, a messenger all breathless arrived 
from the north. He was covered with dust and worn and 
tired with long travelling. He burst into the room, where 
the King sat, and threw himself on his knees. ' My lord 
and King,' he cried, ' Tostig, thy brother, and Harold 
Hardrada, King of Norway, have landed in the north 
with a mighty army of heathen folk. They have defeated 
Earl Morcar. They have taken York. They slay and 
burn without mercy. Through fear, many of thy subjects 
have joined the banner of Tostig. Now they are making 
ready to march south to take London, and Harold 
Hardrada of Norway will be master of all England.' 

Then the messenger was silent, fainting for weariness 
and lack of food. 

This news made Harold very sorry. Tostig was his 
brother, and he did not wish to fight against his own 
brother, but for the sake of England he knew he must. 
For Harold loved England better than all the world. It 
is said that, after he was dead, people found the word 
'England' printed on his breast just over his heart, but 
whether that is true or not, this is true, that Harold held 
England in his heart and in his thoughts, and always 
tried to do what was best for his country. 

So now Harold gathered all his own soldiers or 
huscarles as they were called, and set out for Yorkshire 
to meet the enemy. 



THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE 103 

At this time England had not a great army, as it has 
now, ready at all times for battle. The king only kept 
a few soldiers always near him. They were called his 
' huscarles ' or his ' body guard,' as their duty was to 
guard his house when he was at home and his person 
wherever he went. 

The rest of the soldiers were the servants of the 
great nobles and rich merchants. Whenever the king 
had need of them, he used to call them together, and 
when the fighting was over they went back again to their 
own homes, and to their own masters. 

Harold had called these men together to be ready for 
William, but as months passed and the dreadful duke 
did not come, they grew tired of waiting and went home. 
For by this time it was autumn, the fields were yellow 
with the ripe grain, and the orchards were laden with 
fruit, so the men who had come to fight went home again 
to gather the fruit and cut the corn before the winter 
set in. 

But hardly had they gone, when the messenger came 
with the terrible news from Yorkshire. 

Harold did not stop to gather his army together 
again, but set out as quickly as he could with the few 
soldiers he had. 

As he rode northward, he looked back with many a 
sigh. He looked across the blue waters which separated 
him from Duke William, straining his eyes anxiously, 
but there was no sign of a sail. ' Please God,' he mur- 
mured, ' I may yet return in time to meet the Norman 
wolf.' 

In those days, the roads were very bad. Some of 
them were only tracks worn by the feet of horses. There 
was no means, either, of going from place to place, except 
by walking or riding. But there was one great road. 



104 OUR ISLAND STORY 

which the Romans had made long, long before. This 
stretched all the way from York to London. Harold 
was so clever that in a few days he brought his little 
army along this road from the very south to the middle 
of England. By 24th September he had arrived at York. 
On the 25th a great battle was fought at a place near 
there, called Stamford Bridge. In memory of that great 
fight it was afterwards called Battle Bridge. 

Before the fighting began, the two armies stood facing 
each other. 

Up and down the lines of the Norwegian army rode 
a very tall man on a lovely black horse. He was dressed 
in splendid steel armour, and a beautiful blue cloak hung 
from his shoulders. As he rode, his horse stumbled and 
fell, and the tall man was thrown to the ground. He 
sprang up again with a laugh. ' Oh ! ' he said, ' a fall 
means good luck to a traveller.' 

But Harold, who had been watching, turned to some 
one beside him. ' Who is that tall man with the blue 
cloak and beautiful helmet ? ' he asked. 

* That is Harold Hardrada, King of Norway,' was the 
reply. 

* He has had a fall,' said Harold of England. ' That 
means bad luck to him.' 

One side, you see, thought it was good luck, and the 
other thought it was bad, although really, of course, it 
made no difference one way or another. But, m those 
days, people were very superstitious, that is, they found 
a meaning in things that had no meaning at all. 

Harold of England looked sadly along the lines of 
the army opposite. He was looking for the banner of 
his brother Tostig. When he saw it he rode, almost 
alone, right up to the Norwegian army. His men looked 
on in surprise and fear as he rode so near the enemy. 



THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE 105 

attended only by a few knights. When he was quite 
close to them, he stopped his horse, and called out, ' Is 
Earl Tostig, son of Godwin, in this army ? ' 

Tostig himself answered, ' Yes, what want you with 
him ? ' and he too rode out to meet the King. 

Although Tostig's face was hidden by his helmet. 
King Harold knew his brother's voice. So his tone was 
kind and gentle, as he answered : ' Your brother, King 
Harold, sends you greeting. He does not wish to fight 
against you. If you will send away these soldiers, he 
will forgive you all the wrong you have done, and he 
will give you the earldom of Northumbria once more.' 

' And if I accept his offer,' said Tostig, ' what will he 
give to my friend Harold Hardrada ? ' 

King Harold's voice grew stern as he answered, ' He 
shall have seven feet of English ground for a grave, or a 
little more perhaps, as he is so much taller than other 
men.' 

' Then,' said the earl, 'go and tell King Harold to 
get ready for battle, for it shall never be said that Tostig 
brought his friend to England to betray him.' 

Then the brothers parted, sad and angry, each riding 
back to his own side. 

' Who was that fine man with whom you have been 
speaking ? ' asked Harold Hardrada, as Tostig came 
back. 

* That was King Harold of England,' replied the 
earl. 

' Why did you not tell me ? ' said the king. ' He 
was so near ! So near to death, for had I known who 
he was, he would never have gone back to his own 
people.' 

But although Tostig was a wild, wicked man, he was 
not altogether bad. He looked sadly at King Harold 



106 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Hardrada and said, ' He came to offer me peace and 
forgiveness. He is my brother, though my enemy. Had 
I betrayed him to you, I should have been not only his 
foe, but his murderer.' 

Then it seemed as if Harold Hardrada v^as ashamed. 

Soon the battle began. Harold Hardrada rode in 
front singing a loud battle song. 

' Advance ! Advance ! 
No helmets glance. 
But blue swords play 
In our array. 
Advance ! Advance ! 
No mail coats glance, 
But hearts are here 
That ne'er knew fear.* 

He sang that because these Northmen, as they were 
called, often fought in their shirts and wore no armour or 
protection of any kind. So they got the name of ' Ber- 
serkers,' and in Scotland to this day the word * sark ' is 
used to mean shirt. 

The fight was fierce and long. Sometimes it seemed 
as if the English would win, sometimes the Northmen. 
In the very thickest of the fight rode the two kings, each 
cheering on his men. 

' When battle storm was ringing, 
Where arrow cloud was singing, 
Harold stood there, 
Of armour bare, 

His deadly sword still swinging. 
The foemen felt its bite ; 
His horsemen rush to fight, 
Danger to share 
With Harold there, 
Where steel on steel was ringing.' 



THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE 107 

But at last both Earl Tostig and King Harold Hard- 
rada were killed, and their soldiers fled in all directions. 

King Harold of England was very kind to those who 
were not killed. He did not take them prisoners, but 
allowed them to go away with their ships to their own 
country, having first made them promise never to fight 
against England again. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS 

While these things were happening in York, the great 
duke had finished his preparations. He had gathered 
together his huge army and his mighty fleet of ships. 
The wind blew fair from the coast of France, and he set 
sail for England. 

Over the blue sea they came, the white-sailed vessels 
crowded with knights in armour, champing war-horses, 
bowmen, and spearmen. Such an army had seldom 
before been seen. Duke William's vessel was the gayest 
and proudest of them all. The sails were crimson, the 
deck and masts were gaily painted. A golden boy was 
on the prow, leaning forward as if to catch the first 
glimpse of England. By day the proud banner, em- 
broidered with the three golden lions of Normandy, 
fluttered in the breeze. By night a crescent of light 
shone from the masthead, so that all could see their lord's 
ship and follow where he led. On they came, day and 
night till, with a shout, they greeted the shores of 
England. 

No army was awaiting them. King Harold who had, 
for so many months, watched anxiously for their coming, 
was far away fighting another foe. And when at last the 
white sails glimmered in the distance, only the frightened 
fisherfolk stood upon the shore watching, and the peasants 
fled in fear to hide. 



THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS 109 

On came the duke's fleet, till the vessels touched the 
shore. Duke William was the first to spring to land, 
but as he did so he stumbled and fell. 

' Alas ! what bad luck,' cried the soldiers around him ; 
but William sprang up with a laugh, and turning to them 
showed his hands full of earth. 

' See,' he cried, ' I have already taken hold of my 
kingdom.' 

Then a soldier, who had sprung ashore after the duke, 
ran to a cottage, and tearing from it some thatch, said, 
' Take hold not only of England, but of what England 
holds.' 

* I accept it,' said the duke. ' May God be with us.' 

Soon the whole army landed. The duke then caused 
all the ships to be sunk or pulled far up the shore, so that 
they could not be put out to sea again. * For,' said he, 
' we will either conquer or die. We will never return to 
Normandy disgraced.' 

Now, after the battle of Stamford Bridge, while 
Harold and his men were resting in York before going 
southward again, the clatter of horses' hoofs was heard 
at the castle gate, and in a few minutes a breathless 
messenger flung himself at the king's feet. 

' My lord,' he cried, ' my lord, William of Normandy 
has landed in England. I myself have seen him. He 
has come with a great and fierce host, and is laying waste 
all the land. I have not rested night nor day, but have 
hasted with the tidings.' 

This was very terrible news. Harold's men were 
wounded and weary with fighting, but before an hour had 
passed he and they were again on the great Roman road 
marching southward. 

As he went. King Harold sent messages into all 
the country, calling the soldiers together. From every 



110 OUR ISLAND STORY 

side they came to him, for they loved their king and 
country. 

Harold had done a very wonderful thing when he 
marched his men north in so short a time. Now he did 
an even more wonderful thing when he brought them 
back again, for it is said that he arrived in London 
on 6th October, and they had to ride and walk 
all the way from York, which they only left on 27th 
September. 

Here in London they rested for a few days until more 
soldiers were gathered together. And here Gurth, his 
brother, tried to make Harold remain behind and let him 
go forward with the army to meet William. * It will not 
matter so much if I am killed,' he said, ' and, besides, 
I have made no promises to William, so I can fight him 
better. Then you must burn all the houses, cut down 
the trees, and lay waste the cornfields between here and 
the seacoast, so that if I cannot keep William back he 
will find no food nor shelter for his army when he 
arrives.' 

But Harold looked proudly at his brother. ' I am 
the King,' he said. ' I will never harm an English village 
nor an English house. I will never harm the goods nor 
lands of any Englishman. How can I hurt the people 
who are given me to rule ? ' 

So once more the King set out at the head of his 
army, and on 12th October they arrived in sight of the 
Normans, who had camped near Hastings, on the south 
coast. 

Harold camped on the hill called Senlac, and there it 
was that the battle took place. And from the names of 
the two camps, the battle is sometimes called Hastings, 
sometimes Senlac. 

The Enghsh army was not nearly so large as the 



THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS 111 

Norman, but Harold chose a very good place on the 
top of a hill. He also built a strong fence all round 
his camp. 

When the battle began, the first person who advanced 
from the Norman side was not a soldier, but a minstrel 
or singer called Taillefer. 

He rode out from the ranks, gaily dressed. He was 
tall and handsome, and had a laughing, merry face. On 
he came, riding not as if in battle, but as if in play. 

His horse capered and pranced while he whirled his 
sword, throwing it high into the air, and catching it again 
and again. 

And as he so rode and played, he sang. The song he 
sang was an old song of France, telling of the wonderful 
deeds of the great hero, Roland. It stirred the hearts 
of the Frenchmen, making them eager to fight and con- 
quer. So, led by their minstrel, the whole army took up 
the song, and as they marched, the air was full of the 
music of men's voices. 



'" O Roland, sound your ivory horn, 
To the ear of Karl shall the blast be borne. 
He will bid his legions backward bend. 
And all his barons their aid will lend." 
" Now God forbid it, for very shame, 
That for me my kindred were stained with blame, 
Or that gentle France to such vileness fell. 
This good sword that hath served me well 
My Durindana such strokes shall deal 
That with blood encrimsoned shall be the steel. 
By their evil star are the felons led ; 
They shall all be numbered among the dead." ' 

Taillefer whirled his sword, struck a mighty blow, and 
the first Englishman fell dead. 



112 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' " I will not sound on mine ivory horn ; 
It shall never be spoken of me in scorn. 
That for heathen felons one blast I blew. 
I may not dishonour my lineage true. 
But I will strike ere this fight be o'er 
A thousand strokes and seven hundred more, 
And my Durindana shall drip with gore. 
Our Franks will bear them like vassals brave, 
The Saracens flock but to find a grave." ' 

Again the sword of Taillefer flashed in the sunlight, 
and again an Englishman lay dead. It seemed as if he 
rode alone to defy the whole English army, but behind 
him marched a mighty host singing : — 

' God and His angels of heaven defend. 
That France through me from her glory bend, 
Death were better than fame laid low. 
Our emperor loveth a downright blow.' 

Then the singer's voice was dumb, for an English 
sword flashed, and the bright blade was buried in his 
heart. But over his dead body swept the host still 
singing : — 

' Then from the Franks resounded high — 
" Mountjoie ! " Whoever had heard that cry 
Would hold remembrance of chivalry. 
Then ride they — how proudly, O God, they ride ! 
With rowels dashed in their coursers' side. 
Fearless too are their paynim foes, 
Franks and Saracens thus they close.' 

So the fight began, and all through the long day it 
raged. Sometimes it seemed as if one side would win, 
sometimes as if the other. 

Once a cry went through the Norman ranks that 
Duke William was killed. Hearing that they would 
have fled, but Duke William rode among them bare- 




It seemed as if he rode alone to defy the whole English army 



THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS 113 

headed, calling to them and cheering them on. And 
when the Normans saw their great duke's face, they took 
heart again and turned once more to the fight. 

As the day drew to an end it was seen, alas, that the 
English were beaten. They gathered close around their 
king and his standard, fighting fiercely and bravely to the 
last. And when Harold fell, pierced with an arrow, his 
brave knights fought still over his dead body. But when 
night came, all the bravest and the best men of England 
lay with their king, dead upon the field. 

The splendid standard of Harold was torn, blood- 
stained, and trampled in the dust, and the three lions of 
Normandy, fluttering in the cold autumn wind, kept 
watch over the dead. 

* William came o'er the sea, 
With bloody sword came he. 
Cold heart and bloody hand 
Now rule the English land.' 

King Harold was buried on the seashore, not far from 
where he fell. Even William, fierce and cruel though 
he was, must have felt some pity for the man who had 
fought so bravely for his country. * Let him lie by the 
seashore,' he said. ' He guarded it well while he lived. 
Let him still guard it in death.' 

So, wrapped in a purple robe, as befits a king, they 
buried him by the sounding sea, beneath the great arch of 
heaven. Over his grave William caused a stone to be 
placed. Upon it in Latin were engraved the words : — 
' Here lies Harold the unhappy.' 

But after many years the body was removed to 
Waltham Abbey, which Harold himself had founded. 
On the spot where Harold fell, William of Normandy, 
perhaps in sorrow and remorse, built another great abbey, 

H 



114 OUR ISLAND STORY 

which he called Battle Abbey, and the ruins of both may 
be seen to this day. 

So died Harold, the last of the English kings. He 
had reigned only nine months, and died, fighting for 
the freedom of his people and his country, on Saturday, 
October 15, 1066. 



CHAPTER XXV 

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR— THE STORY OF 
HEREWARD THE WAKE 

William of Normandy had won the battle of Hastings, 
but he had not won England. Harold was dead, but 
the people would not call William king. For five days 
after the battle he waited, expecting the English lords 
to come to do homage to him, as their new master. But 
not one came. The people were full of grief and anger 
at the death of Harold, and of sullen hate for the con- 
queror. They would not own him as king. 

After five days, William waited no longer. More 
soldiers had come from Normandy to replace those who 
had been killed at the battle of Hastings. With these 
new soldiers William marched through the land, and so 
fierce and terrible was he, that he forced the people 
to own him as king. By December all the south of 
England was in William's power, and on Christmas Day 
he was crowned at Westminster. 

Scarcely a year before, the people had crowded to the 
same place to see Harold, and to cheer and welcome him 
as their king. Now all was changed. The people were 
sullen and silent, the way was lined with Norman soldiers, 
and Norman faces and Norman costumes were every- 
where to be seen. 

Stigand, the archbishop who had crowned Harold, 

116 



116 OUR ISLAND STORY 

refused to crown William, and William in wrath retorted 
that he was no true bishop, and that he did not wish to 
be crowned by him. Yet William forced Stigand to be 
present at the coronation. 

Once again, as so short a time before, the voice of the 
bishop rang through the great church, ' Do you take 
William of Normandy to be your king ? ' Once again 
the answer came, ' We do.' But this time the question 
was asked and answered in French, and the English 
voices were silent. So the question was asked again in 
English, and the answer came from unwilling English lips, 
but not from English hearts, ' We do.' Then an echoing 
cry was heard without — not the shout of a glad people, 
but a cry of agony and despair. The Norman soldiers, 
instead of keeping order, had begun to fight and kill. 
They had set fire to the houses near the church, and were 
slaying and robbing. Those within the church rushed out, 
some in fear, others eager to join the robbers. William 
was left alone with only the bishops and the priests. 

Then for the first time in his life the great William 
was afraid. Through the windows of the church he could 
see the flicker of flames, and could hear the savage 
yells of soldiers and the shrieks of frightened women and 
children. Yet he did not know whether the English 
had risen in revolt, or whether it was only his own 
wild soldiers who were attacking the people. 

But whatever it might be William meant to be King 
of England — a king crowned and anointed. So although 
his cheek was pale and his voice shook, he forced the 
archbishop to go on with the ceremony. 

With trembling hands the archbishop placed the 
crown upon William's head — not Harold's crown, but a 
new one glittering with splendid gems — and in a hurried 
and mumbling voice he finished the service. Then 



WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR 117 

William, kneeling at the altar, promised to fear God, 
to rule the people well, and to keep the laws of Alfred 
and Edward, ' so that the people be true to me,' he 
added. 

As he stood up no shout greeted him, the church was 
silent and empty. He passed down the aisle in lonely 
splendour, followed only by the trembling priests, while 
without was heard the sound of the crackling flames 
mingled with fierce yells and curses. 

William was crowned, but the English rejected him 
as king. They wanted an English king. But alas ! there 
was no strong man whom they could choose. Harold's 
brave brothers had all died with him at Hastings. There, 
too, had fallen the noblest and the best of the English 
lords. There was no one left who seemed to have any 
right to the throne, except the little boy Edgar the 
^theling, Edmund Ironside's grandson. Even he did 
not seem to be English, for he had lived nearly all his life 
in Hungary, and could hardly speak his own language. 
But at least he was not Norman, so the English chose 
him to be king. 

The people of Northumberland rose in fierce rebellion 
against William, and he in as fierce anger marched against 
them with his soldiers. From north to south he laid 
waste the country, burning towns, destroying farms, kill- 
ing cattle, murdering the people, till the whole of North- 
umberland was one dreary desert. So fierce and terrible 
was his wrath that even the ploughs and farming tools 
were destroyed, and the land lay untilled and desolate. 
Those of the people who were not killed in battle died 
miserably of cold and hunger. When William marched 
south again, he left only blackened ruins and dismal 
waste, where happy homes and smiling fields had been. 
From very need, most of the English lords now bowed 



118 OUR ISLAND STORY 

to William and owned him master. Even Edgar came 
to him to do homage and strange to say William treated 
him kindly. Perhaps he felt that he was so strong and 
Edgar so weak, that he had no need to fear him. 

Still the English were not all conquered. In the Isle 
of Ely, in what is called the Fen country, the people 
made one last stand. There, under the leadership of a 
brave Englishman called Hereward, they held out against 
William. 

In the time of Edward the Confessor, Hereward had 
been banished for some reason, perhaps because he had 
quarrelled with one of Edward's Norman friends. He 
had lived for many years across the sea in a country called 
Flanders. But when he heard that Edward was dead, 
that Harold also was dead, and that William the Norman 
had seized the crown of England, Hereward came back 
determined to fight for his own land. 

All the noblest and bravest of the English who still 
resisted William gathered to Hereward and they made 
their camp in the Isle of Ely. The monks who already 
lived there shared their monastery with the soldiers. So 
in the great hall peaceful monks and warlike men sat side 
by side at meals, and the walls which had been hung with 
holy relics and pictures of saints were now covered with 
weapons and armour. 

Hereward built a castle at Ely, but it was a wooden 
one, while all through England the Normans were build- 
ing strong fortresses of stone, such as the English had 
never seen before. 

Hereward hoped that, from his castle at Ely, he would 
gradually win all England again. But the hope was vain, 
for William was too strong. Yet it took him a long 
time to conquer Hereward. Like Harold, Hereward was 
a good general, and he was both clever and brave. 



WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR 119 

After trying vainly to find a way through the marshes 
and fens to Hereward's camp, William decided at last to 
build a road strong enough and broad enough to carry his 
army over. So the soldiers set to work at once with 
stones, wood, and skins of animals, to make a strong, 
broad, solid road. When it was finished William's men 
marched over it to attack Hereward's men in their own 
camp, but the English fought desperately, and the 
Normans were driven back. 

In those days people believed in witches. So William 
next found a poor old woman who was supposed to be a 
witch. He built a wooden tower, placed it on wheels, 
and with the witch inside, pushed it along the road, at 
the head of the Norman army. This poor old woman was 
meant to cast a spell over the English soldiers, so that 
they would not be able to fight any more. Of course she 
could really do them no harm, and Hereward and his 
men captured the tower and burned it up, witch and all. 
Again William had failed. 

Hereward had brought large stores of food into the 
camp, and he and his men hunted the wild animals, so 
that there was always enough to eat, although the fare 
was plain. But the monks who were used to living a 
very easy life and to having fine things to eat and drink, 
grew tired of fighting and of plain food, and they sent a 
message to William telling him of a secret way through 
the fens to the camp. 

So Hereward who could not be conquered was 
betrayed. 

One evening the Norman soldiers, led by the wicked 
monks, came stealthily through the thick woods among 
the marshes. In the gathering dusk they came creeping, 
silent and eager. Then, when they were close upon the 
camp, they burst with wild cries upon the unsuspecting 



120 OUR ISLAND STORY 

English, and, when the sun had set, the sky was red with 
the flames from burning English homes. 

Many lay dead, many were taken prisoners. To the 
prisoners William was very cruel. He put out their eyes, 
cut off their hands, and treated them so dreadfully that 
they cried aloud, ' It is better to fall into the hands of 
God than into those of the Norman tyrant.' 

Hereward escaped, and with some of his bravest 
followers continued to fight, although all hope of freedom 
for England was gone. But he, too, yielded at length and 
bowed his proud head to the conqueror. Wilham of 
Normandy was at last master of all England. He was 
indeed William the Conqueror. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

THE DEATH OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR 

William was ruler of the land, but English hearts never 
accepted him. Norman and Englishman lived side by 
side, yet a wide sea of hatred kept them apart. 

As he had promised, William rewarded the Norman 
barons and nobles who had helped him to conquer Eng- 
land. He gave them the lands and goods of the conquered 
people, so it was not wonderful that there was fierce hatred 
between the two races. 

The Normans were greedy, and they not only took the 
lands which William gave them, but they forced the 
English to pay large sums of money too. Every high 
position was filled by Normans, and the English were 
forced to be the servants and slaves of these proud 
Norman masters. 

The Normans talked a great deal of ' right,' but the 
more they talked of right, the more wrong they did. 
The very sheriffs and judges, who ought to have seen 
that the laws were kept and that justice was done, were 
more greedy than thieves and robbers, and the king was 
greediest of all. He made the people pay tolls and taxes 
until they had hardly any money left. Much of this 
money he took away with him to France, much he kept 
locked up in his strong treasure-room. 

As if he had not already spoiled enough of the country 

121 



122 OUR ISLAND STORY 

in battle, William next laid waste a great part in the 
south, simply because he was very fond of hunting and 
he wanted a good hunting-ground. He turned the people 
out of their houses, burning and ruining whole villages in 
order to make a great place in which to ride and hunt. 
He called this place the New Forest and it is so called 
to this day. 

Having made this forest, William also made forest 
laws. These laws were very cruel. If any person was 
found hunting or killing the deer or other wild animals, 
his eyes were put out or his hands and ears were cut off. 
So the poor people, who had been driven from their 
homes, dared not even kill the wild animals for food. 

William did not do much that was kind, but some 
things which he did were wise. Among the wise things 
was the law which he made that all lights and fires 
must be put out at eight o'clock at night. 

Nowadays we should think it very hard indeed if 
all fires and lights had to be put out at eight o'clock. 
But in those days people used to rise very early, and go 
to bed very early, so that it was not a great hardship. It 
was really a wise rule, because nearly all the houses 
were built of wood, and if people were careless and went 
to bed leaving large fires burning, the houses were apt to 
catch fire. In a town all built of wood, if one house 
caught fire sometimes a whole street would be burned to 
the ground before the fire could be put out. 

By this wise law Wilham made the danger of fires 
much less. Every night at eight o'clock a bell was rung. 
This bell was called 'the curfew,' from the French words 
* couvre feu ' which mean * cover fire.' 

Another wise thing which William did was to make 
what is called the Domesday Book, or book of judgement. 
This was a very big book in which a description of all the 



DEATH OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROK 123 

great houses and lands in the kingdom was written down, 
with the names of the people to whom the land and 
houses belonged. This book was very useful at the time, 
and it has been very useful since. For one thing it shows 
us how much land was taken from the English and given 
to the Normans. 

When William gave the Normans land he did not give 
it to them for nothing. In return they had to promise to 
come to help the King in battle and to bring men with 
them. The more land they got the more men they had 
to promise to provide in time of war. When William 
wished to know how many men a certain lord would 
bring to fight for him, he only needed to look at his great 
book to see how much land he had. This plan of paying 
for land by fighting was called the feudal system, and it 
lasted in England for many years. 

William spent a great deal of time in Normandy, for, 
though he was proud to be King of England, he loved 
his Norman home far better. It was in Normandy that 
he died. 

William had been fighting with the King of France, 
and, with his usual cruelty, he had burned a town 
belonging to that king. While William was riding 
about among the ruins, his horse stepped upon some 
hot ashes, stumbled, and he was thrown to the ground. 
William was by this time very fat and old, and the fall 
hurt him so much that in a few days he died. 

Only two of William's sons were with him at the time. 
Robert, the eldest, had quarrelled with his father long 
before, and was far away. But, as he lay dying, William 
wished to be at peace with every one. He forgave Robert 
and left the crown of Normandy to him. ' And,' he said, 
' although the crown of England is not mine to give away, 
I should like William to have it.' And the son, eager to 



124 OUR ISLAND STORY 

claim his father's crown, seized the great signet ring which 
the dying king still wore, and drew it from his finger. 

To Henry, his youngest son, William left a large 
sum of money. 

Then William and Henry hurried off to England ; the 
one to demand the crown, the other to make sure of his 
treasure. The great Conqueror was left to die alone. 

A strange thing happened while WilHam was being 
buried. Fire broke out in the streets just as it had done 
when he was being crowned. The people who were 
carrying the bier fled, so once more the Conqueror was 
left alone with a few priests. They would have buried 
him hurriedly but, as they began the service, a young 
man stepped forward and stopped them. ' This ground,' 
he said, ' was taken from my father by the very king 
whom you now wish to bury here. He has no right to 
the land. It is mine, not his. I refuse to allow him to 
be buried in it.' 

So even in death the Conqueror was to find no resting- 
place. But the priests bargained with the young man, 
and at last, for the sum of sixty shillings, he allowed 
them to bury the King in his ground. 

And there the Conqueror was at last laid to rest. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

THE STORY OF WILLIAM THE RED 

William Rufus, or the Red as he was called, from the 
colour of his hair, took the ring from his father's hand 
and hurried off to seize the throne of England, without 
waiting even till the Conqueror should die. In little 
more than a fortnight the crown was upon the head of 
William Rufus, and England had another Norman king. 

But even the Norman nobles were not pleased with 
their new king. The Conqueror had ruled them with an 
iron hand, and they had hoped, when he was dead, to have 
some one who would be less severe. They wanted Robert, 
the eldest son of William the Conqueror, because they 
knew that he was much less harsh than William, and they 
thought that they would be able to do what they liked 
if Robert were king. So they rebelled against William 
the Red and asked Robert to come to England to fight 
for the crown. 

Now the English hated to have a Norman king, but 
they hated the Norman nobles even more. Although 
William the Red was Norman he had lived in England 
ever since he had been about six years old. He could 
speak English, which the Conqueror could never learn to 
do, and which the Confessor had never cared to do. 

So William the Red appealed to the English people. 
He said to them, ' If you stand by me and fight for me, 

125 



126 OUR ISLAND STORY 

I will reward you. I will take away some of the heavy 
taxes, I will give you more liberty, and I will not allow 
the Norman barons to oppress you.' 

So the English people fought for their Norman king, 
and they beat the Norman nobles. Robert was obliged 
to fly back to France, and William the Red, with the help 
of the English people, sat safely on the English throne. 

But as soon as he was safe, William forgot about his 
promises. He oppressed the people as much as ever, and 
they were almost more unhappy than they had been in 
the time of his father. 

The Red King was wicked and greedy. He stole 
money from every one, even from the churches, and spent 
it on his own pleasure. Little good can be said of him 
except that he was fearless. Still when he was ill, and 
thought he might die, he became frightened because of 
the wicked things he had done, and promised to do better. 
But as soon as he was well again he forgot his fears and 
was as wicked as before. He was not truly a brave man, 
and he was very cruel. 

One day William the Red went to hunt with his friends 
in the New Forest — that forest which his father had made 
by destroying so many villages. Before the hunting- 
party started, a man came to the King and gave him six 
beautiful new arrows. The King admired them very much, 
and he gave one of them to his friend, Walter Tyrrell, who 
was a very good shot, saying, ' The best arrows should be 
given to him who knows best how to use them.' 

It was a gay scene. The King in his rich hunting- 
dress rode first. His friends and servants, gaily dressed, 
followed. There was much talking and laughing and 
barking of dogs. 

As they rode into the forest, the frightened deer fled 
before them, and soon every one was eagerly following 



THE STORY OF WILLIAM THE RED 127 

the chase. In the many paths of the forest, the King 
became separated from his friends. The nobles did not 
notice that the King was not among them, for it often 
happened in hunting that a few would be separated 
from the others. When the hunt was over, one by one 
the hunting-party returned to the palace. Only the 
King did not return — the King and one noble, Walter 
Tyrrell. 

What had happened ? 

As the shadows began to lengthen and the sun to set, 
the people of his household became uneasy. Who was 
with the King ? Who saw him last ? 

As the question was asked, a peasant's cart came 
slowly up the street. It was a rough wooden cart drawn 
by an old white horse, led by a peasant in poor and 
shabby clothes. 

The question was answered. In the cart the King, 
who so short a time before had ridden gaily away, lay 
dead, with an arrow through his heart. 

' Who has done this ? ' asked the barons, seizing the 
peasant. ' Villain, answer.' 

' I know naught of it, my lords,' replied the man. ' I 
was passing through the forest on my way home when I 
found this man lying dead as you see him. I bethought 
me that it was the King, so I brought him thither.' 

How William the Red was killed can never be known. 
Some people say that Walter Tyrrell, while aiming at a 
deer, hit the king by mistake, that the arrow struck a 
tree and, glancing off, pierced the king in the breast and 
killed him. These people think that Walter Tyrrell, 
frightened at what he had done, fled away as fast as he 
could ; that he fled to the seashore, got into a ship and 
sailed over to France. 

Certain it is that Walter Tyrrell did run away that 



128 OUR ISLAND STORY 

day, and did not return to England for many years. 
But when he came back, he vowed very solemnly that he 
had not done the deed and that he had not even been 
near the King that day when he died. 

There was no sorrow for the dead king. He was 
hated so much that, when he was buried, no bell was rung, 
no prayers were said, and when some time after the tower 
of the church fell, people said it was because of the 
wickedness of William, the Red King, who lay buried 
there. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

HENRY I.— THE STORY OF THE 'WHITE SHIP' 

William the Red died in 1100 a.d. He had no chil- 
dren, so his brother Henry became king after him. 
Henry was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. 
He was fond of learning and could read and write better 
than most people in those days, so he was called Beau- 
clerc, which is French and means ' fine scholar.' 

Henry's eldest brother Robert, Duke of Normandy, 
was still alive, and the Norman barons in England still 
wanted to have him for their king. So they sent over to 
France and asked Robert to come to fight again for the 
crown. 

Once more the English people had to choose between 
the Norman king and the Norman barons. Once more 
they decided for the King and fought for him, even 
although William the Red had forgotten his promises and 
cruelly deceived them. For although Henry's father and 
mother had been Norman, Henry himself had been born 
in England, and the English people felt as if that almost 
made him English. So once more they chose to fight for 
the King against the barons. 

Henry Beauclerc did not repay the people with pro- 
mises only, as his brother had done. He gave them a 
written letter, or charter as it was called, in which he 
promised to do away with many of William the Red's 

I 



130 OUR ISLAND STORY 

cruel laws, to restore the good laws of Edward, and to 
lessen the power of the barons. 

Later on another king gave the people a much more 
important charter, but in the meantime the English were 
very glad to get this one. 

Besides giving them this charter, Henry pleased the 
English very much by marrying the Scottish Princess 
Maud, or Matilda as she was sometimes called. 

Edgar the -^theling had a sister named Margaret. 
She married the Scottish King Malcolm iii., and this 
Princess Maud was their daughter, and the great-grand- 
daughter of Edmund Ironside. When Henry married 
her and she became Queen of England, the English felt 
that the crown had come back again to their own people, 
and they were very glad. But the Norman nobles were 
angry about it. They thought Henry ought to have 
married a Norman lady. 

Although many of the nobles were angry, Henry's 
marriage did a great deal of good, for other Normans 
followed the King's example and married English ladies, 
so that the hatred between the two races began to dis- 
appear a little. 

Thus it happened that when Robert and his barons 
came to fight Henry, they were met by an army of 
English, whose hearts were with their king and who 
' nowise feared the Normans.' So hopeless did Robert 
feel it to be, that he made peace with his brother and 
went back to Normandy without fighting. 

Then Henry punished the rebel barons by taking 
their lands away from many of them and banishing 
others. The English helped him and rejoiced at the 
defeat of the proud barons. 

Later on Robert and Henry quarrelled again. Henry 
sailed over to Normandy with an army of English 



THE STORY OF THE * WHITE SHIP ' 131 

soldiers, defeated his brother, and took possession of 
Normandy. So now instead of England belonging to 
Normandy, Normandy belonged to England. 

When Henry had been king for about twenty years, 
a great and terrible grief came upon him. He and his 
son. Prince William, had been in Normandy together. 
Just as they were ready to return to England, a sailor 
came and begged Henry to honour him by using his 
ship. ' My father Stephen,' he said, ' steered the ship in 
which your father sailed over to England when he went 
to conquer Harold. My father was a good sailor, and he 
served King William until he died. I, too, am a sailor 
like my father. I have a beautiful boat called the White 
Ship. It is newly rigged and freshly painted, it is 
manned by fifty trusty sailors, and is in every way worthy 
of a king. Honour me, as your father honoured my 
father, and give me leave to steer you to England.' 

' I thank you, good Master FitzStephen,' said Henry, 
* but I have already made choice of the ship in which I 
intend to sail, and I cannot change. But,' he added, 
seeing the man looked disappointed, ' my son. Prince 
William, is with me and you may steer him and his 
company over the channel.' 

Thomas FitzStephen was very glad when he heard 
that, and he hurried away to tell his sailors to prepare to 
receive the prince. 

Late in the afternoon King Henry set sail, leaving 
Prince William to follow in the White Ship. But 
Prince William was young and gay, and he did not feel 
inclined to start at once. He stayed on shore drinking 
and feasting and making merry with his friends. When 
at last he did go on board, he ordered the captain to give 
the sailors three barrels of good red wine with which to 
drink his health. So there was still further delay. As 



132 OUR ISLAND STORY 

was usual in those days, priests came to bless the ship 
before it started, but the prince and his gay companions 
laughed at them, and the sailors, whom the wine had 
made merry, cliased them away. 

One of the King's friends, who had been left behind 
with the prince, now urged the captain to start. 'Oh, 
there is no hurry,' said FitzStephen, ' my beautiful 
White Ship has sails like the wings of a bird. She skims 
over the water swifter than a swallow. We can easily 
overtake the King and be in England before him.' 

At last they started. The deck was crowded with 
fine ladies and gay gentlemen. These ladies and gentle- 
men had many servants, so that, together with the 
sailors, there were about three hundred people on board 
the ship. 

The sails were set, the sailors bent to the oars, and to 
the sound of song and laughter the gay ship left the 
harbour, skimming over the waves like a beautiful bird, 
as the captain had said. 

It was a clear and frosty winter's evening. The red 
sun had sunk and a silver moon shone brightly. All was 
merriment and laughter when, suddenly, there was an 
awful crash. The ship seemed to shiver from end to end 
and then stand still. The next minute it began to sink. 
It had struck upon a rock. 

One fearful wail of agony rose from the hearts of three 
hundred people, breaking the stillness of the night. Far 
away over the sea Henry heard that cry. ' What is it ? ' 
he asked, straining anxious eyes through the darkness. 

' Only some night bird, sire,' replied the captain. 

* Methought it was some soul in distress,' said Henry, 
still looking back over the sea, anxious he knew not v/hy. 

On the White Ship all was terrible confusion. With- 
out losing a moment FitzStephen thrust the prince into 



THE STORY OF THE 'WHITE SHIP' 133 

the only small boat, and bade the sailors row oft*. He at 
least must be saved, though all the rest should perish. 

The prince, hardly knowing what had happened, 
allowed the sailors to row away from the sinking vessel. 
But suddenly a voice called to him, 'Ah, William, 
William, do you leave me to perish ? ' 

It was the voice of his sister IMarie. 

William was careless and selfish, but he loved his 
sister. He could not leave her. ' Go back,' he said to 
the sailors, 'go back, we must take my sister too.' 

' We dare not, sire,' replied the boatmen. ' We dare 
not, we must go on.' 

' You dare not,' cried the prince, ' am I not the son of 
the King of England ? Obey me.' 

The prince spoke so sternly that the men turned the 
boat and went back to the sinking ship. 

As the boat drew near, the Princess JNIarie, with a cry 
of joy, leaped into her brother's arms. But, alas! many 
others, eager to be saved, crowded into the little boat. 
The sailors tried in vain to keep them back, the little 
boat was overturned, and the prince was drowned. 

The White Ship sank fast, until only the mast was 
seen above the water. Clinging to it were two men — all 
that were left of that gay company. One of these men 
was a noble called Geoffi-ey de I'Aigle. The other was a 
poor butcher of Rouen, called Berthold. 

As they clung there, a third man appeared, swimming 
through the waves. It was the captain, FitzStephen. 

' What of the prince ? ' he asked. 

' The prince is drowned,' replied Geoffrey. 

' Ah, woe is me ! ' cried FitzStephen, and throwing up 
his arms, he sank. 

Hour after hour the two men clung to the mast. 
They were numbed with cold and perishing from hunger. 



134 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Again and again, as long as they had strength, they called 
aloud for help. But there was no one to hear. The 
bright stars twinkled overhead and the moon shone 
calmly, making paths of shining silver over the still 
water. But no voice answered their cries. 

All through the terrible long night the noble and 
the butcher talked and tried to comfort each other. But 
towards morning the noble became exhausted. 'Good- 
bye, friend,' he whispered to Berthold, ' God keep you. 
I can hold out no longer.' Then he slipped into the 
water, and Berthold was left alone. 

When the wintry sun rose, Berthold, faint and be- 
numbed, was still clinging to the mast. He was the 
poorest of all those who had sailed in the beautiful 
White Ship. While the others had been dressed in silk 
and satin and velvet, his coat was of sheepskin, and 
perhaps that helped to save him, for the rough skin kept 
out the cold and wet far better than a coat of satin could 
have done. 

It was beginning to grow light when three fishermen, 
passing in their boat, caught sight of something floating 
in the water. They rowed near to see what it was, and 
found the poor butcher almost dead from cold and 
hunger. 

The fishermen lifted him into their boat and took him 
home. When they had warmed and fed him, and he 
could speak again, he told his dreadful story. 

Alas, what news to carry to England ! There was 
mourning and tears among the nobles when they heard it, 
for almost every one among them had lost a son or a 
brother. 

But who should tell the King? No one dared. The 
nobles knew that Henry loved his son above everything 
on earth, so for three days, in spite of his anxious ques- 




The little boy knelt before the King and stammered out the story. 



THE STORY OF THE * WHITE SHIP' 135 

tions, no one dared to tell him the truth. When alone 
they wept for their dear ones, but in presence of the 
King they put away their tears and tried to smile and jest 
as usual. 

At last one of the nobles, taking his little son by the 
hand, and whispering to him, ' Go, tell the King,' gently 
pushed the child into the room where Henry was sitting. 

The little boy felt frightened and shy at finding him- 
self alone with the stern King, although he hardly under- 
stood how terrible a tale he had to tell. Half sobbing 
with excitement and fear, he knelt before Henry and 
stammered out the story. 

As Henry listened, his hands clutched his robe, his 
lips moved, but no sound came. Then suddenly he fell 
senseless to the floor, and the little boy, now quite 
frightened, burst into loud sobbing. 

At the sound of the fall the nobles rushed into the 
room. They lifted the King and placed him upon a 
couch. He lay there with white face and closed eyes. 
When he opened his eyes again there was a look in them 
that no one had seen before ; his face was lined and 
drawn with sorrow, and no one ever saw him smile again. 

Henry had no other son, but he had a daughter who 
was called Matilda, as her mother had been. He resolved 
that this daughter should be queen after he was dead. 

In those days it was thought strange for a country to 
be ruled by a woman, and the haughty Norman nobles 
hated the thought of it. But Henry was so strong and 
stern that he forced them to promise that Matilda should 
be queen. How they kept that promise you shall hear. 

After Prince William's death, Henry spent a great 
deal of his time in Normandy. He was there when he 
died. It is said that his death was caused by eating too 
many lampreys. Lampreys are fish something like eels. 



136 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Henry was very fierce and stern, but he was wise, and 
in those days it was necessary for a king to be stern in 
order to keep the strong barons in check. He loved 
justice so much that he was called the Lion of Justice. 
He took the side of the English people against the 
Norman barons, and the EngHsh repaid him by being 
true to him. We read of Henry that, ' Good he was and 
mickle awe was of him. No man durst misdo with other 
in his day. Peace he made for man and deer.' 

Peace he made and peace he loved, so that he was 
called the ' peace-loving king.' 

Kneeling beside King Henry, as he lay dying, the 
Archbishop of Rouen prayed, ' God give him the peace 
he loved.' 



CHAPTER XXIX 

THE STORY OF KING STEPHEN 

Henry i. died in 1135 a.d., and the barons, instead of 
keeping their promise to him and making his daughter 
queen, chose his nephew Stephen to be their king. 
Stephen was the son of Adela, Wilham the Conqueror's 
daughter. 

The barons chose Stephen for several reasons. They 
were so proud that they hated the thought of being 
ruled by a woman, and that woman, too, not even a 
Norman. For you remember Matilda's mother was a 
great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, and as she had 
been born in England and lived a great part of her life 
there she was far more English than Norman. 

Matilda's husband was Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. 
He was also called Geoffrey Plantagenet, because when 
he went into battle he used to wear a sprig of yellow 
broom in his helmet, so that his friends might know him 
when his face was covered with his visor. The Latin 
name for broom is planta genista, and gradually it came 
to be pronounced Plantagenet. 

Although Geoffrey was French he was not a Norman, 
and the Normans looked upon him as quite as much a 
stranger as an Englishman, and they did not wish to be 
ruled by him, as would happen if his wife Matilda were 
made queen. Besides this, the barons knew that Stephen 



138 OUR ISLAND STORY 

was kind and gentle, and they thought he would be a king 
who would allow them to do just what they liked. 

And so he did. Stephen was too gentle to rule the 
wild barons. Some one stern and harsh was needed to 
keep them in check, and Stephen was neither. He allowed 
the barons to build strong castles all over the country. 
These castles had dark and fearful dungeons, which were 
used as prisons. There such deeds of cruelty were done 
by the barons that the people said the castles were filled, 
not with men, but with evil spirits. * God has forgotten 
England,' they said. * Christ sleeps and His holy ones.' 

Not even at the time of the Conquest had there been 
such misery in England. Then there had been one stern 
ruler who had forced every one to bend to his will. Now 
each baron set himself up as a king and tyrant. His 
castle was his kingdom, where he tortured and killed 
according to his own wicked will. Stephen was a courteous 
knight and gentleman, but during the nineteen years of 
his reign there was only lawlessness and sorrow in 
England. 

When the barons made Stephen King of England, 
Matilda and her husband Geoffrey fled to Normandy. But 
there, too, the barons rebelled against them and chose 
Stephen for their duke. 

Then David, the King of Scotland, gathered an army 
and came to fight for his niece Matilda. 

Ever since the days of the Romans the Scotch and 
English had been enemies, and the Scotch were still 
almost as wild and fierce as they had been then. They 
marched through England as far as Yorkshire, doing 
dreadful deeds of cruelty as they went. 

At a place called Northallerton a great battle was 
fought. It was called the Battle of the Standard because 
the sacred banners of four saints were hung upon a pole. 



THE STORY OF KING STEPHEN 139 

which was fixed to a cart, and round this the English 
gathered their forces. 

The Scots were fiercely brave, but they wore no 
armour, and, although they rushed to battle with splendid 
courage, they could not break through the line of steel- 
clad Normans, nor stand against the arrows of the Eng- 
lish. So they were defeated, and David could not help 
Matilda as he had meant to do. 

Later on Matilda came back from France, and, until 
the death of Stephen, England was filled with civil war. 
Civil war means war within a country itself — the people of 
that country, instead of fighting against a foreign nation, 
fighting among themselves. This is the most terrible kind 
of war, for often friends and brothers fight on different 
sides, killing and wounding each other. In this civil war 
those who wished Matilda to be queen fought against 
those who wished Stephen to remain king. 

For a time Matilda's army was successful, but she 
was so proud and haughty that she soon made enemies 
even of those who had at first fought for her. Then came 
a time when she was shut up in Oxford, while the army 
of Stephen lay around. The King's soldiers kept so strict 
a watch that no food could be taken into the town, and 
no person could escape from it. This is called a siege. 
The people in Oxford began to starve, for they had eaten 
up all the food they had, and Stephen's soldiers took 
good care that no more was allowed to be taken into the 
town. It was the middle of winter. The river Thames 
was frozen over. Snow lay everywhere around. The 
cold was terrible, and the people had no wood for fires. 

At last Matilda could bear it no longer. She made 
up her mind to run away. One night four figures dressed 
in white crept silently through the streets of Oxford. 
They reached the gate. In silence it was opened, for 



140 OUR ISLAND STORY 

those guarding it knew who the white-clad figures were. 
One by one the figures passed through. Out into the 
snow-covered fields they crept, moving softly and swiftly, 
unnoticed by Stephen's soldiers. It was Matilda and 
three faithful knights. They had dressed themselves in 
white so that they might pass unseen over the snow. 
There was no bridge over the river, but the frost was so 
hard that they crossed upon the ice and so got safely 
away. 

Although Matilda fled, the war still went on until at 
length her son Henry landed in England, determined to 
fight for the crown. But Stephen was weary of war, and 
all the land longed for rest. So listening to the advice 
of a wise priest, Stephen and Henry made peace. 

Their first meeting was on the banks of the Thames 
where it runs still as a little stream. They stood one on 
one bank, and one on the other — Stephen a broken, 
ruined man, worn and aged with wars and troubles, 
Henry young, handsome, and hopeful. And there 
they made a treaty called the Peace of Wallingford. 
By this treaty it was agreed, that Stephen should keep 
the crown while he lived ; that he should acknowledge 
Henry as his adopted son ; that Henry should reign 
after the death of Stephen ; and that the dreadful castles 
which Stephen had allowed the wicked barons to build, 
and which they used as dark and horrible prisons, should 
be destroyed. 

So the land had rest. Soon afterward Stephen died, 
and in 1154 a.d. Henry came to the throne amid the great 
rejoicing of the people. 



CHAPTER XXX 

HENRY PLANTAGENET— THE STORY OF GILBERT 
AND ROHESIA 

Henry ii., as you know, got his name Plantagenet from 
his father, Geoffrey of Anjou, who used to wear a piece 
of planta genista in his helmet. He was the first of 
several kings ruling England who were all Plantagenets. 

Henry ii. was only twenty-one years old when he began 
to reign, and, like his grandfather, Henry Beauclerc, he 
reigned thirty-five years. Like him, too, he did much to 
draw the English and Norman people together. 

The misrule and confusion of the reign of Stephen 
had been so great, that Henry had to work very hard to 
bring his kingdom into order again. He not only worked 
hard himself, but he made other people work too. It is 
said of him that he never sat down, but was on his feet 
all day long. 

The first thing Henry did was to send away all the 
foreign soldiers who had come to England to help Stephen 
and Matilda in their wars. Next he made the barons 
pull down their castles in which they used to do such 
dreadful deeds of cruelty. He told them they must live 
in ordinary houses and not in fortresses which could be 
turned into fearful prisons and places of torture. 

The barons were very angry ; but, like his grand- 
father, Henry Beauclerc, Henry ii. was stern, and forced 
people to obey him. 

141 



142 OUR ISLAND STORY 

These are only a few of the things which he did, for 
the reign of Henry ii. was a great one. To help and 
advise him in his work, Henry chose a man called Thomas 
a Becket. 

Thomas a Becket's father was called Gilbert, and his 
mother Rohesia. Gilbert was a London merchant, and 
when he was young he had made a pilgrimage to the 
Holy Land, as was common in those days. 

At that time Jerusalem was in the hands of people 
called Saracens. They were pagans and hated the 
Christians, and they treated very badly those who came 
to visit the sepulchre of Christ. 

While Gilbert was on his pilgrimage, a rich Saracen 
seized and put him in prison, saying he should not come 
out until he had paid a great sum of money. 

This Saracen had a beautiful daughter. Rohesia, for 
that was her name, had seen the handsome young English- 
man before her father put him into prison, and she felt 
sorry for him. She used to come to the little window of 
his cell to speak to him, and to bring him things to eat 
and drink. 

Night after night she came, and they whispered to 
each other through the bars of the httle prison window. 
There was no one to hear, and only the stars and the 
moon to keep watch. All day long Gilbert used to wait 
impatiently until night came, when Rohesia would creep 
quietly to the window, and he would hear her whisper, 
' Gilbert, Gilbert,' and she would slip her little hand 
through the bars and touch his. 

Rohesia could speak no English, but Gilbert could 
speak her language, and he taught her to say his name. 
She learned to say London too, and knew that that was 
where he lived. 

Gilbert and Rohesia grew to love each other very 



STORY OF GILBERT AND ROHESIA 143 

much, and all the day seemed long and dreary until night 
came and they could whisper to each other through the 
prison bars. But one night Rohesia came breathless and 
pale. ' Gilbert,' she whispered, * Gilbert, my father is 
asleep, and I have stolen the keys. I will unlock the 
door. You are free.' 

Gilbert hardly believed the good news until he heard 
the key turn in the lock. Then the door swung open 
and he knew that he was indeed free. He took Rohesia 
in his arms and kissed her, promising that he would never 
forget her. ' As soon as I get back to England, I shall 
send for you,' he said. ' You must come to me, and we 
shall be married and never part any more.' 

Then Gilbert went away and Rohesia was left all 
alone. She felt very sad after he had gone, but she com- 
forted herself always by remembering that he was going 
to send for her, and that then they should be together 
and happy ever after. 

Gilbert arrived safely in England, but he forgot all 
about the beautiful Saracen maiden and his promise to 
her. He had so many things to do when he got back to 
London that the time for him went very quickly. But 
for Rohesia the time passed slowly, slowly. Day after 
day went by. In the morning she said, ' To-day he will 
send.' In the evening she wept, and said, ' He has not sent.' 

At last she could bear the waiting no longer, so she 
set out to try to find Gilbert. She knew only two words 
of English, but she was not afraid. She travelled all 
through the land until she reached the seashore. There 
she said, ' London, London,' to every one whom she met 
until at last she found a ship that was going there. She 
had not much money, but she gave the captain some of 
her jewels, and he was kind to her and landed her safely 
in London. 



144 OUR ISLAND STORY 

London in those days was much smaller than it is 
now, but Rohesia had never seen so many houses and 
people before, and she was bewildered and frightened. 
Every one turned to stare at the lovely lady dressed in 
such strange and beautiful clothes, who kept calling, 
' Gilbert, Gilbert,' as she passed from street to street. 

Gilbert was sitting in his house when suddenly he 
heard his name. He knew the voice, yet he could hardly 
believe his ears. Could it indeed be Rohesia ? In a flash 
he remembered everything. The dark little prison. The 
lovely Saracen girl. His love for, his promise to, her. He 
ran to the door and opened it quickly. The next minute 
Rohesia was sobbing in his arms. Her long journey 
was ended. She had found Gilbert, 

As Gilbert held Rohesia in his arms, he found all his 
old love for her had come back. So they were married 
and were happy. They had a little son whom they called 
Thomas. He grew up to be that Thomas a Becket, who 
was King Henry's great chancellor and friend. 

I must tell you that some people say that this 
story of Gilbert and Rohesia is only a fairy tale. 
Perhaps it is. 



CHAPTER XXXI 

HENRY PLANTAGENET— THE STORY OF 
THOMAS A BECKET 

King Henry was very fond of Thomas a Becket. They 
used to work very seriously, but when work was done 
they would play together like two boys. 

The chancellor took care of the King's great seal, 
looked after the royal chapel, and had many other duties. 
He was a very important person, lived in splendid style, 
and dressed magnificently. In fact, his house and ser- 
vants were richer and grander than those of the King. 
Many of the nobles sent their sons to serve in the chan- 
cellor's house, and the proudest were glad to wait on him 
and to try to please him. 

Every day a great number of people dined with the 
chancellor. Sometimes the King would come in from 
riding, in the middle of dinner, jump over the table with 
a merry jest, and sit down among the guests. 

Many stories are told of the fun the King and the 
chancellor used to have together. One day, while out 
riding, Thomas and King Henry met an old beggar, 
shivering and in rags. 

* It would be a good action to give that poor man a 
coat,' said the King. 

* It would indeed,' replied the chancellor. 

* Then give him yours,' and the King laughingly seized 
the cloak which Thomas was wearing. 

K 



146 OUR ISLAND STORY 

It was a beautiful new cloak of silk and fur, and 
Thomas did not wish to lose it. So he held it tight, 
while the King tugged hard to pull it off. Neither 
would let go until, between struggling and laughing, they 
both nearly fell off their horses. 

The courtiers watched and laughed too, but at last the 
King succeeded in getting the cloak and flung it to the 
beggar. Thomas was not very pleased, but he had to 
make the best of it and go shivering for the rest of his 
ride. The poor beggar went away greatly delighted with 
the King's joke. 

Once Henry sent Thomas with a message to the King 
of France. Thomas took so many soldiers and servants 
in glittering dress, so many horses and carriages with him, 
that the people came out of their houses to stare at him 
wherever he passed. 

' Who is it ? ' every one asked. 

' The Chancellor of England,' was the reply. 

' Only the chancellor,' cried the astonished people. 
' What must the King be, if the chancellor is so grand ? ' 

Henry worked hard, and with the help of his chan- 
cellor improved many things in England. He found that 
the Church and the clergy, like everything else, had grown 
very unruly and disorderly. He determined to put them 
in order, and Thomas a Becket he thought would be the 
best man to help him. Thomas had been brought up as a 
priest, and King Henry resolved to make him Archbishop 
of Canterbury and head of all the clergy in England. 

But Thomas was gay and worldly. He loved fine 
clothes and rich food. * I do not want to be Archbishop 
of Canterbury,' he said to the King. 

* You must be,' said the King. 

' Then we shall quarrel,' said Thomas. 

* Why ? ' said the King. 



THE STORY OF THOMAS A BECKET 147 

* Because if you make me head of the Church I shall 
work for the Church and not for you. We shall no 
longer be friends, but enemies,' replied Thomas. 

But King Henry did not believe Thomas when he 
talked like this and, in spite of all he could say, he made 
him Archbishop of Canterbury. 

As soon as he became archbishop, Thomas changed 
his way of living. He gave up his fine house and fine 
clothes and his great number of servants. He began to 
wear coarse, rough clothes, lived in a little narrow cell, ate 
very plain food and drank only water. 

It is difficult to understand why he did this. Perhaps 
he thought that the Primate of all England, as the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury is called, ought to be a very holy 
man, and he knew no other way of becoming holy, for 
in those days if a man fasted and went barefoot and wore 
coarse clothing it was thought that he must be a saint. 

Thomas now wrote to the King and told him that he 
must find another chancellor, as he could not be arch- 
bishop and chancellor too. This was a great surprise and 
grief to the King. In those days it was nothing unusual 
for one man to be archbishop as well as chancellor. 
Henry had expected Thomas still to be chancellor and 
still to help him. He had only made him primate so that 
he should help him more. 

But that was only the beginning of the troubles. 

The Bishop of Rome, whom we call the Pope, said 
that he was the head of the whole Christian Church, and 
that no one could be made a bishop in England without 
his consent. Henry said that he, the King, was the head 
of the English church, and he would make what bishops 
he chose. Thomas, instead of siding with the King, sided 
with the Pope, so they quarrelled, as Thomas had wai-ned 
Henry that they would. 



148 OUR ISLAND STORY 

In those days the clergy had grown very wicked. 
Instead of leading good lives, and being an example to 
others, they led bad lives. Priests and clergy who did 
wicked things were not judged by the same courts as 
other people. They were judged by a bishop's court. 
Now a bishops court had no power to order any very 
severe punishment. If a priest killed a man, the worst 
that could happen to him would be that he would be 
beaten — not very hard — and have only bread and water 
to live on for a few days. Many wicked people became 
priests simply that they might be able to do as much 
wrong as they liked, without being punished for it. 

Henry wished to put an end to this, so he said that all 
people who did wrong must be tried by the same judges, 
whether they were priests or not. But Thomas a Becket 
would not agree. Clergymen had always been judged 
by a bishop's court, he said, and by a bishop's court they 
should continue to be judged. 

So the King and the primate quarrelled worse than 
ever, till the quarrel grew so fierce, and the King so 
angry, that Thomas fled over the sea to escape from 
him. 

After a time Henry forgave Thomas and he came 
back to England, but almost at once he again began to 
quarrel with the King. This time Henry lost all patience 
and, in a burst of anger, he exclaimed, ' Are there none of 
the idle people who eat my bread that will free me from 
this quarrelsome priest ? ' 

Henry was angry, and did not really mean what he 
said. But four knights heard, and thinking to please 
their king they took ship (for Henry was in Normandy 
at this time), crossed the sea to England, and rode to 
Canterbury. Arrived there they went to the archbishop's 
house. They found him almost alone. With angry 



THE STORY OF THOMAS A BECKET 149 

words they told him that he must either promise not 
to quarrel with Henry or he must leave England. 

' I shall do what I think is right,' replied Thomas. 
' If the King tells me to do things which I think are 
wrong, I will not obey him. I am the servant of God. 
God is higher than the King ; I shall obey Him.' 

This answer enraged the knights, and more angry 
words were spoken. Then they went away, telling 
Thomas to beware, for they would come again. 

' You will find me here,' replied Thomas proudly. 
* Never again will I forsake my people.' 

All the archbishop's friends, and the monks and priests 
who lived with him, were very much afraid. They felt 
sure that these angry knights meant to do something 
dreadful. They begged Thomas to leave his house and 
take refuge in the cathedral, but he would not. * I said 
they would find me here,' he replied to all entreaties. 

The day passed. The time for evening service came. 
Then only did Thomas consent to leave his house and go 
into the cathedral, for, said he, ' It is my duty to lead the 
service.' The priests tried to hurry him, they tried to 
drag him along quickly, but Thomas would not hasten. 
He walked slowly and solemnly, having the great cross 
carried before him as usual. He feared no man. 

When at last he was safe within the cathedral, the 
priests wished to lock and bar the doors. But Thomas 
forbade them. ' This is not a fortress but the House of 
God, into which every one is free to enter. I forbid you 
to bar the doors,' he said. 

The priests were in despair. They loved their arch- 
bishop, they knew that he was in danger, but he would 
not try to save himself. 

Even as he spoke there was a great noise without. 
The door burst open, and the four knights, dressed in 



150 OUR ISLAND STORY 

complete armour and carrying drawn swords in their 
hands, rushed into the cathedral. 

The frightened people fled in all directions. The 
archbishop was left almost alone. Only three remained 
with him — his cross-bearer and two other faithful friends. 

In the dim twilight which filled the cathedral it would 
have been easy for Thomas to escape. But he would not 
go. ' I told them that they should find me here,' he said 
again to the monks who tried to drag him away. 

Even as it was, the knights could not find him. In 
the gathering darkness they clanked and clanged through 
the great church, seeking him. 

* Where is the traitor ? ' called one of them. 

No one answered. Only the word 'traitor' echoed 
again through the silence. 

' Where is the archbishop ? ' he called again. 

' I am here,' answered the voice of Thomas a Becket 
out of the darkness. * I am here ; no traitor, but a 
servant of God. What do you want ? ' 

They stood before him, four armed knights against 
one unarmed priest. Yet he was not afraid. 

' Will you be at peace with the King ? ' asked the 
knights. 

'What I have done I shall continue to do,' replied 
Thomas. 

' Then die.' 

The knights seized him and tried to drag him out 
of the cathedral, for they feared to kill him in a holy 
place. 

But Thomas would not go. He held tightly to a 
pillar. His cross-bearer, still holding the cross, threw 
one arm round the archbishop, trying to protect him. 

The knight who had first spoken struck at Thomas. 
The cross-bearer received the blow upon his arm, which 



THE STORY OF THOMAS A BECKET 151 

fell to his side broken. The next stroke fell on Thomas 
a Becket's defenceless head. 

In a few minutes all was over. 

' In the name of Christ, and for the defence of the 
Church, I die willingly,' said Thomas, and spoke no more. 

Then the knights, fearful of what they had done, fled, 
leaving the dead archbishop alone in the dark, silent 
cathedral. 



CHAPTER XXXIT 

HENRY PLANTAGENET— THE STORY OF THE CONQUEST 

OF IRELAND 

When Henry heard of what had happened to Thomas 
a Becket, he was very sorry ; but strangely enough he 
had no power to punish the four knights ; their sin was 
a sin against the Church, and they could only be tried 
by a bishop's court. The bishop's court punished them 
by sending them on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. So 
Thomas a Becket, in quarrelling with the King, had 
protected his own murderers. But perhaps their punish- 
ment was very real, for they were forsaken and shunned 
by all their friends. No one would speak to them, nor 
eat with them, and at last they died in misery and 
loneliness. 

All England was filled with horror at the dreadful 
deed. The people had loved Thomas when he was alive, 
now that he was dead they called him a saint. From far 
and near they came as pilgrims to his grave, over which 
a splendid shrine, glittering with gold and gems, was 
placed. 

Nearly four years later the King himself came as a 
pilgrim to show his sorrow and repentance. He rode on 
horseback to Canterbury but, as soon as he came within 
sight of the cathedral, he got off his horse and walked 
barefoot, wearing only a shirt, and carrying a lighted 
candle in his hand, until he reached the shrine. 



STORY OF CONQUEST OF IRELAND 153 

For a whole day and night, having nothing to eat or 
drink, he knelt in prayer before the grave. For a still 
greater punishment, he made the monks beat his bare 
back with knotted cords. 

All this show of sorrow could not bring back the great 
archbishop, who had been murdered in consequence of a 
few words spoken in anger. But it pleased the Pope, 
who was very angry because Thomas a Becket had been 
killed. He blamed Henry, and would scarcely believe 
that he had not told the four knights to do the wicked 
deed. In those days the Pope was very powerful indeed. 
Even kings stood in awe of him, and Henry was glad to 
make peace with him by any means in his power. 

Until now, in this book, we have spoken only of 
England, although England is but one of the countries 
which form the United Kingdom. Each of these coun- 
tries has a history of its own, but it would be too difficult 
to tell all the stories in one book, so I shall tell only 
the story of each country after it has been joined to 
England. 

There are four countries in the United Kingdom, — 
England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Of these, Eng- 
land and Ireland were the first to be joined together. 
This happened in the reign of Henry ii,, in 1172 a.d. 

England, you remember, had at one time been divided 
into seven kingdoms, and in the same way Ireland was 
still divided into four, and the kings of these four divi- 
sions were always fighting with each other. 

Now, one of these kings, who was called Dermot, 
came to Henry and asked for help against another of the 
Irish kings. Henry promised help if King Dermot would 
acknowledge him as ' over-lord.' This King Dermot said 
he would do. Henry was very glad to fight with the 
Irish, because he knew it w^ould please the Pope, and 



154 OUR ISLAND STORY 

perhaps make him forget about the death of Thomas 
a Becket. The Pope was angry with the Irish, because 
they would not pay him some money to which he 
thought he had a right. 

Henry first sent some Norman knights over to 
Ireland, and then went himself. There was a good deal 
of fighting, but in the end Ireland was added to England, 
and ever since, the kings of England have been lords of 
Ireland too, although many years passed before they 
could be said really to rule there. 

Henry's great reign closed in sorrow. His sons did 
not love him, and they rebelled and fought against him. 
They were encouraged in this by their mother, who was 
not a good woman. 

Two of Henry's sons died before him, both of them 
while fighting with their father. Two others called 
Richard and John were kings of England after him. 

John was Henry's favourite son. He was the only 
one who had not rebelled against him. But when the 
King lay very ill the nobles came to tell him that John, 
too, had rebelled. This last sorrow broke Henry's heart. 
Crying out, ' Ah, John, John, now I care no more for 
myself, nor for the world,' he turned his face to the wall, 
and died. 

Henry was a very rich king, for, besides being King 
of England and lord of Ireland, he was ruler over more 
than half of France. Later you will hear how one of his 
sons lost all these French possessions. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 

THE STORY OF RICHARD CCEUR DE LION 

* This King Richard, I understand. 
E'er he went out of England, 
Let make an axe for the nonce. 
There with to cleave the Saracen's bones, 
The head in soothe was wrought full weel. 
Thereon was twenty pounds of steel.' 

The country where Christ was born, lived and died is 
called Palestine. The capital of that country is Jerusalem. 
From that far-off country the story of Christ was carried 
all over the world. 

Many listened to the story and were glad, but the 
country where He had lived fell into the hands of the 
Saracens and Turks who neither believed in nor loved 
Christ. When people, for the love of Christ, went the 
long, long journey to Palestine, in order to see for them- 
selves the Holy Sepulchre, these Saracens and Turks 
ill-treated them, and insulted their religion. 

At last a monk, called Peter the Hermit, went 
through Europe, preaching and calling upon all Christians 
to fight for the city of their Lord. If they truly loved 
Christ, he said, they would deliver His grave from the 
hands of the Saracens. At his call Christian people rose, 
eager to show their love, and journeyed to Palestine ; but 
the way was long and difficult, and few reached the 
capital. 

155 



156 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The people, however, were not disheartened, and the 
following year a great army set out which did reach 
Jerusalem, and after much fighting the Holy Sepulchre 
was taken from the Turks. 

Later on the Turks took it back again, and so, for 
nearly two hundred years, with times of peace between. 
Christians and Turks were at war. 

These wars were called crusades, which means, wars 
of the cross. The word comes from the Latin word crux. 
They were called crusades because the people who fought 
in them were fighting for the place where Christ died 
upon the cross. As a badge or sign, they wore a cross 
upon their armour or clothes. 

Many kings and princes joined these wars. King 
Henry ii. had been making ready to go to Palestine when 
he died. His son Richard i., who was king after him, 
made up his mind to go as soon as he was crowned. 

Richard had not been a good son. He had helped to 
make his father's last days unhappy, but when his father 
was dead he was sorry for what he had done, and he 
punished the people who had helped him to rebel, instead 
of rewarding them as they had expected. Richard was 
very brave as his name, Coeur de Lion, which means Lion- 
hearted, shows. He was a great soldier, he loved to fight, 
he loved to have adventures. So instead of staying at 
home and looking after his kingdom as he ought to have 
done, he went far away to Palestine to fight. 

And his people were proud of their king and glad to 
have him go, for they knew that he would make the 
name of England famous wherever he went, although 
Richard himself was really hardly English. He had 
indeed been born in England, but he had lived nearly all 
his life in France, and he did not know nor care much 
about the English people. 




'RICHARD WENT AWAY TO PALESTINE' 



STORY OF RICHARD C(EUR DE LION 157 

Richard Coeur de Lion came to England to be crowned. 
He sold everything he could in order to get money for the 
crusade (for wars always cost a great deal of money), and 
then he sailed away. 

But first he chose two bishops to rule the country 
while he was gone. One was a very old man, and the 
other, William Longchamps, was a Norman. He could 
hardly speak a word of English and he treated the people 
so badly that they hated him and soon rebelled. 

Now Richard's younger brother, John, wanted to be 
King of England, so he encouraged the people to rebel. 
Then he began to rule, but the unhappy people soon 
found that John was no kinder than William Long- 
champs. Indeed he was rather worse, for John wanted the 
kingdom for himself, and Longchamps, although proud 
and haughty and cruel to the people, was at least true 
to his king. 

John and his Norman friends oppressed the people, 
and the hatred between English and Norman, to which 
Henry ii. had done so much to put an end, flamed up 
again. Many of the English left their homes, or were 
driven from them, and the land became full of robbers 
and outlaws. 

One of the most famous of these outlaws was Robin 
Hood. He lived in Sherwood, a forest which at that 
time covered a great part of the centre of England. He 
was the head of a large band and so powerful was he that 
he was called the King of Sherwood. And indeed his 
followers loved and obeyed him as they would have done 
a king. 

Robbers as a rule are not men to be admired, but 
those were wild times, very different from ours, and Robin 
had been forced to become a robber through the wicked- 
ness of the rulers of the land. Among his own band 



158 OUR ISLAND STORY 

he kept such good order, that in Sherwood women and 
children could wander safely, where it was dangerous 
for haughty knights and wicked priests to go. Robin's 
rules were strict, and those who would not obey them 
were driven out of the band of Merrie Men, as his 
followers were called. 

' But, look ye, do no husbandman harm, 
That tilleth with his plough. 
No more ye shall the good yeoman 
That walketh by green wood shaw ; 
Nor no knight, nor no squire, 
That will be good fellow. 
These bishops and archbishops 
Ye shall them beat and bind ; 
The high sheriff of Nottingham 
Him hold in your mind.' 

The sheriff of Nottingham was Robin's greatest 
enemy. Many times he tried to catch Robin but he never 
succeeded. 

In those days bows and arrows were used in battle 
instead of guns, as gunpowder had not been invented. 
Bows and arrows were also used for hunting wild animals. 
The English archers were the most famous in the world, 
and Robin Hood was the most famous archer in Eng- 
land. He could split a willow wand, and hit a mark 
which another man could hardly see. 

Robin and his men lived in caves in the forest, shoot- 
ing the King's deer for food and getting money by robbing 
the rich knights and priests who travelled through the 
Green Wood. But they never hurt nor robbed the poor 
people, indeed Robin used to help many of them. The 
common people loved him, although the rich, and great 
barons and nobles hated him. 

Far away in Palestine news of the wicked things 
which John was doing reached Richard, and he felt that 



STORY OF RICHARD C(EUR DE LION 159 

it was time that he should go home again. He had not 
succeeded in what he had set out to do. He had not 
won Jerusalem from the Turks. But he made a truce 
with their great leader, Saladin. A truce means that 
the people who have been fighting do not make peace for 
good and all, but that they promise not to fight against 
each other for some arranged time. Saladin and Richard 
made a truce for three years, during which time Saladin 
promised that no harm should be done to the pilgrims 
who came to the Holy Sepulchre. 

Richard set sail for home, but his heart was in the 
Holy Land. Tears filled his eyes as its shores grew dim 
in the distance. Stretching out his hand, as if in prayer, 
* Blessed land,' he cried, ' farewell. To God's keeping I 
commend thee. May He give me life that I may return 
to deliver thee from the hand of the unbeliever.' 

As Richard sailed homeward, storms arose and his ship 
was wrecked upon the shore of Austria. Nearly every one 
was drowned, but the King and a few of his knights 
escaped. 

While in Palestine, Richard had quarrelled with the 
Duke of Austria, and he knew that it would not be safe 
to travel openly in this land. So the King and his knights 
disguised themselves as merchants, hoping in that way 
to pass safely on their journey. 

But they had many adventures, and more than once 
were nearly discovered. At last Richard was left with 
only one knight and one little page. When they arrived 
at the large town near which the Duke of Austria lived, 
Richard and the knight lay hidden, while the page went 
into the town to buy food. They had been travelling for 
several days without daring to enter a house, and all the 
food they had was finished, and they were both weary 
and hungry. 



160 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Richard, like many brave and reckless people, was 
neither thoughtful nor careful. He gave the page a 
large sum of money and allowed him to go into the town 
carrying the King's gloves in his belt. 

In those days only very rich people wore gloves, and 
Richard's were beautifully embroidered with silk and 
gold, such as only kings and princes wore. The page 
had often before bought food for his master, and he went 
fearlessly into the market-place to get what was needed. 
But when he handed the merchant a large piece of gold 
in payment, the man looked sharply at him. 
' Who is your master ? ' he asked. 
' My master is a rich merchant called Hugh,' replied 
the boy. ' He is returning from a pilgrimage to the 
Holy Land.' 

'Merchant indeed,' said another man. 'Look at his 
gloves.' 

A third plucked them from his belt. ' Merchant 
indeed,' he too cried. ' These are king's gloves. Who is 
your master, boy ? ' 

' I have told you,' replied the page steadily, 'he is a 
merchant called Hugh.' 

But the townspeople would not believe that. They 
beat and tortured the poor lad. Still he would not tell. 

Then they dragged him before the duke with whom 
Richard had quarrelled in Palestine. He was more strong 
and cruel than the others, and at last forced the page to 
confess that his master was Richard Coeur de Lion, the 
King of England. 

Then Leopold, Duke of Austria, was very glad. He 

hated Richard with a great hatred. He sent soldiers to 

the King's hiding-place, seized him, and put him in prison. 

Duke Leopold kept Richard prisoner for some time, 

and then he sold him to the Emperor of Germany for a 



STORY OF RICHARD C(EUR DE LION 161 

large sum of money. The Emperor of Germany also 
hated Richard, so he, in his turn, put him into prison. 

Then the Emperor wrote to the King of France telling 
him that the King of England was safely imprisoned in 
one of his strong castles. And King Philip of France 
was glad, for he, too, hated Richard, and had been helping 
Prince John to stir up the English people to rebellion. 
When Prince John heard about it, he was glad too. So 
a great many people rejoiced that Richard Cceur de Lion 
was in prison. 



CHAPTER XXXIV 

RICHARD CCEUR DE LION— THE STORY OF HOW BLONDEL 
FOUND THE KING 

KiCHARD CcEUR DE LioN, who lovcd to bc frcc, who loved 
to fight and ride and hunt, to do great deeds of strength 
and daring, hated to be shut up in a dark and narrow 
prison. 

Yet he did not despair. He loved, too, to laugh and 
sing, and he made friends with his gaolers, wrestling and 
fighting with them, and astonishing them by his great 
strength. And when he was weary of that, he would 
sing to them or write poetry. 

But sometimes he was sad. 

Although nearly all the poetry which Richard wrote 
has been lost, one mournful little song which he made in 
prison is still left. It was written in French, for Richard, 
you remember, was almost French, and could speak very 
little English. 

Here it is in English words : — 

* No captive ever sings so sweet a strain 
As he who weareth not the prisoner's chain. 
Yet song may glad his days of weariness ; 
Friends fail me not, but shame for them I fear. 
If I, for lack of gold, this vile duresse 
Sustain another year. 

162 



HOW BLONDEL FOUND THE KING 163 

' Well know my knights and servants every one, 
English, Poitevin, Norman, or Gascon, 
That to no comrade would I help refuse. 
But I would spend my wealth till he were free ; 
And this I say, yet them I not accuse 
For my captivity. 

' True it is said, and I have learned it sore. 
Dead folk no lovers have, nor captives more. 
But if to save their wealth here I do lie, 
Disgrace and scorn shall unto them be still, 
And if I suffer, more they suffer will. 
Though I be left to die.' 

Prince John felt that nothing now stood between him 
and the throne of England. He told the people that the 
King was dead and would never come back again. He 
seized the royal castles and what gold and jewels he could 
find belonging to the King in England. But the English 
would neither believe nor follow John. 

JNIeanwhile Blondel, a minstrel or singer who loved 
King Richard, took his harp, and, wandering from castle to 
castle, sought his master through all Germany. For the 
Emperor kept secret where he had imprisoned Richard. 
Wherever Blondel heard of some unknown prisoner, there 
he stopped and sang a song which Richard and he had 
made and sung together. 

Again and again Blondel sang this song, but no 
answering voice ever came from any of the grim castle 
walls. At last one evening, weary and almost hopeless, 
he began to sing beneath the walls of a castle called 
Trifels. 

* O Richard ! O my king ! 
Thou art by all forgot. 
Through the wide world I sadly sing, 
Lamenting thy drear lot. 
Alone, I pass through many lands 
Alone, I sigh to break thy bands. 



164 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' O Richard ! O my king ! 
Thou art by all forgot, 
Through the wide world I sadly sing, 
Lamenting thy sad lot.' 

Blondel's voice was sad and broken, his heart was 
heavy, and he could scarcely sing for tears. But hardly 
had he finished the first verse when, from a window high 
above him, another voice took up the tune and sang : — 

* The minstrel's song 
Is Love alone. 
Fidelity and Constancy, 
Though recompense be none.' 

The voice rang out clear and full and strong. 
Blondel knew and loved it. It was the voice of Richard 
Cceur de Lion. Blondel leaned his head against the 
rough stone of the castle wall and wept for joy. He had 
found his King. 

Back to England the minstrel went with his great 
news, and when the English people heard it, they were 
glad. But the Emperor would not set Richard free until 
the people paid a large sum of money called a ransom. 
The land had already been made very poor through the 
wars and robberies of John, but the English people wanted 
their king so much that they denied themselves almost 
everything in order to raise enough money. When they 
had gathered the money they sent it to the Emperor, and 
Richard was at last set free. 

As soon as he was out of prison, Richard hurried to 
England. He must have been glad to see the white 
cliffs of his own land again. He had been away four 
years, and fourteen months of that time he had been shut 
up in a dark and lonely prison. 

The people were so glad to see their King again that. 



HOW BLONDEL FOUND THE KING 165 

poor though they were, they had such grand decorations 
and rejoicings that a German knight who came home 
with Richard was quite astonished. ' Had my lord the 
Emperor known,' said he, *how rich a country England 
still was, he would have demanded yet more money.' 

Richard set himself at once to bring order into the 
kingdom. Most of the people were on the side of the 
King, and Prince John soon submitted to him. Their 
mother, Queen Eleanor, begged Richard to forgive his 
brother. 

' I forgive him,' said Richard, ' and I hope I shall as 
easily forget the wrong he has done me as I know he will 
forget my pardon.' He knew that John was not really 
sorry, and would rebel again as soon as he had a chance. 

Richard remained in England only a few months, and 
then he went to France. There he spent the rest of his 
life, chiefly fighting with the king of that country. 

But Richard left a good and wise man to rule in 
England, and the people were happier, although they had 
to pay heavy taxes in order to help Richard in his French 
wars. This was very unfair, as these wars did England 
no good. But as long as the kings of England had pos- 
sessions in France, the English had to pay for French 
wars. So it was a good thing for England when at last 
all the French possessions were lost. 

Richard was killed in France in 1199 a.d., while be- 
sieging a castle called Chaluz. He was riding round the 
walls with one of his captains, looking for the best place 
of attack, when a young archer put an arrow to his bow, 
and saying, ' Now, God speed my arrow,' let it fly. 

The arrow hit Richard in the shoulder. The wound 
was not a bad one, but doctors in those days were not 
very clever, and the doctor who drew out the arrow-head 
did it so badly that the wound was made much worse. 



166 OUR ISLAND STORY 

In a day or two it became so bad that Richard felt he 
was going to die. But he swore that he would first take 
the castle and kill the archer who had caused his death. 

The castle was taken, and Richard, in his terrible 
wrath, hanged all the soldiers except the archer. He 
was kept for some more dreadful death. 

Richard was lying in great agony when the young 
archer was brought before him. ' Villain,' said the King, 
looking fiercely at him, ' what have I done to you that 
you should kill me ? ' 

The young man drew himself up, and looking proudly 
at the King, and not in the least afraid of his angry 
frown, replied, ' With your own hand you killed my 
father and my two brothers. Kill me, torture me if you 
will. I am glad to die, having rid the world of one who 
has wrought so much ill in it.' 

Then there was silence between these two proud, brave 
men, as they looked each other in the eyes, the one a 
poor soldier, the other a dying king. 

But Richard, although fierce and hasty, was gener- 
ous, and, above all things, he loved courage. * Boy,' 
he said, ' I forgive you.' Then turning to his captains, 
* Loose his chains,' he added, ' let him go free, and give 
him a hundred shillings to boot.' 

So Richard Coeur de Lion died. He was so brave 
that all Europe rang with his fame. The Saracens stood 
in such awe of him that when little children were naughty 
their mothers would say to them, ' Be good now, or 
Richard of England will come to you,' and the children 
would be good at once for fear of him. ' Thinkest thou 
that Richard of England is in that bush ? ' a rider would 
say to his horse if it were startled, so great was the terror 
of his name. 

Richard was a good knight and brave soldier, but he 



HOW BLONDEL FOUND THE KING 167 

was not a good king. He reigned for ten years, yet only 
six months of that time did he spend in England. No 
doubt he thought it was a great and good thing to fight 
for Jerusalem, but how much better it would have been if 
he had tried to rule his own land peacefully, and bring 
happiness to his people. 



CHAPTER XXXV 

JOHN LACKLAND— THE STORY OF PRINCE ARTHUR 

When Richard Cceur de Lion died, his brother John, who 
had plotted and rebelled against him when he was alive, 
became King. He was called by the French John Sans 
Terre, which means * without land,' and John Lackland by 
the English. He was so called because, when his father, 
Henry ii., died, John had no kingdom left to him as his 
brothers had. 

John was the youngest and the worst of all Henry's 
sons, and he was not the heir to the throne of England. 

The real heir was Prince Arthur of Brittany, the son 
of John's elder brother Geoffrey. And now the French 
king, Philip, who had fought against Richard and helped 
John, suddenly turned round and began to fight against 
John because he would not let Arthur be king. 

John was wicked and wily, and he easily got Arthur 
into his power and shut him up in prison. But John 
was not content with that. He greatly feared that the 
English people might want to have Arthur as their King, 
and he resolved to make that impossible. 

Prince Arthur was placed in the charge of a man 
called Hubert, and wicked King John ordered this man 
to put out Arthur's eyes. 

Hubert actually said he would do this cruel deed. 
One morning he brought two men into Arthur's room. 



THE STORY OF PRINCE ARTHUR 169 

ready to put out his pretty blue eyes with their dreadful 
hot irons. 

Arthur was a gentle, loving boy, and he was fond of 
his stern gaoler, and Hubert in his own rough way was 
fond of the little prince. Now he felt sad and sick at 
heart at the thought of what he had to do. 

* Are you ill ? ' said Arthur. ' You look so pale. I 
wish you were a little ill so that I could nurse you and 
show you how much I love you,' he added. 

When Arthur spoke to him so kindly the tears came 
into Hubert's eyes. But he brushed them away and 
determined to do what the King had commanded. 

* I am not ill, but your uncle has commanded me to 
put out your eyes,' he said roughly. 

* To put out my eyes ! Oh, you will not do it, 
Hubert?' 

* I must.' 

* Oh, Hubert ! Hubert ! how can you ? ' said Arthur, 
putting his arms round Hubert's neck. ' When your 
head ached only a little I sat up all night with you. Now 
you want to put out my eyes. These eyes that never did, 
nor never shall, so much as frown upon you.' 

* I have sworn to do it,' said Hubert sadly. 

* Oh, but you will not do it I You will not I You will 
not, Hubert ? ' and so Arthur begged and prayed till 
Hubert could resist no longer, and he sent the wicked 
men with their dreadful red-hot irons away. 

But Hubert was afraid that King John would be 
angry because his orders had not been obeyed, so he told 
him that the cruel deed had been done, and that Prince 
Arthur had died of grief and pain. 

Then wicked King John was glad. But the people 
both in France and England were very sad when they 
heard this news. Every one mourned for the young 



170 OUR ISLAND STORY 

prince. All through the land bells were tolled as if for a 
funeral. 

There was so much anger against John, and so much 
sorrow for the prince, that at last Hubert told the people 
that what he had said was not true, and that Arthur was 
still alive. Then every one was glad. Even King John 
was glad at first because many of his nobles had told him 
plainly that he would find no knight to follow him to 
battle, nor to guard his castles at home, if he had really 
killed his little nephew. 

But King John's heart was black and wicked, and 
he could not rest while he knew that Prince Arthur 
lived. So one dark night he came to the castle in which 
his nephew was still kept prisoner. 

After that night no one ever saw Prince Arthur again. 
Next morning when the sun shone in at the narrow 
window where he used to sit it shone into an empty 
room. For Arthur's poor little body was lying at the 
bottom of the Seine, with a great wound in his heart 
made by his wicked, uncle's cruel, sharp knife. 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

JOHN LACKLAND— THE STORY OF THE GREAT CHARTER 

The French barons soon grew weary of John and his 
misrule, and they all leagued against him. They fought 
and conquered him, and he had to fly from Normandy 
which, with all his other French possessions, was lost to 
him for ever. 

But although he was no longer Duke of Normandy, 
Count of Anjou, Lord of Touraine and Maine, John was 
still King of England, and to England he returned to rob 
and oppress the people. 

The wise man, called Hubert Walter, who had ruled 
England during the last years of Richard Coeur de Lion, 
now died. He had been Archbishop of Canterbury, and 
John was very glad when he died, as he was one of the 
few men who kept him from doing just as he liked. 

John chose a friend of his own as the next archbishop, 
but the monks of Canterbury chose some one else. Both 
these men went to the Pope to ask him which of them 
ought to be archbishop. Henry ii., you remember, had 
quarrelled with Thomas a Becket over this very point, 
because, he said, he had the right to choose the English 
bishops, and the Pope had nothing to do with it. 

The Pope said that neither of these men should 
be archbishop, and he chose another man altogether, 
called Stephen Langdon. 



172 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Stephen Langdon was a very good man. In fact no 
better archbishop could have been chosen. But John 
was furiously angry when he heard that his friend was 
not to be allowed to be archbishop, and he banished 
Stephen Langdon from the country. 

Then the Pope was very angry with John and told 
him that, if he did not allow Stephen to come back at 
once, he would lay England under an Interdict. 

Interdict comes from a Latin word which means * to 
forbid.' The Pope meant that he would forbid any 
religious service of any kind to be held in England. 

John did not care. He meant to have his own way. 
So did the Pope. John would not give in and the 
churches were closed. No bells were rung, no services 
were held. People could not be married, little babies 
could not be christened, dead people could not be buried. 
Cobwebs and dust filled the churches, weeds choked the 
graveyards. 

It was a sad and gloomy land. 

Still John did not care. Then the Pope excom- 
municated him. Excommunicate is another Latin word 
and means that John was put out of union or companion- 
ship, not only with the Church, but with every human being. 

The Pope told the people that John was no longer 
king and that they need not now obey him. They were 
forbidden to eat or drink with him or to serve him. 
Whatever he did was wrong. In fact he had lost all 
rights as a man and a Christian. He might be looked 
upon as a wild animal. Any one who chose might kill 
him. 

Still John did not care. He laughed at the Pope. 

Then the Pope told the King of France that he would 
be doing a good and Christian act if he conquered John 
and took possession of England. 



THE STORY OF THE GREAT CHARTER 173 

The French king was only too pleased to have a good 
excuse for invading England, and he began at once to 
prepare to fight. 

Then suddenly John grew frightened and gave way. 
He had found out that not only the Pope and the French 
were against him, but the Scotch, the Irish, the Welsh, 
and even the English were all ready to fight. He was 
alone in the world, hated and despised by all. So power- 
ful was the Pope in those days. 

From being insolent and scornful, John now became 
meanly humble and did a shameful thing. The Pope sent 
a messenger to England and John, kneeling before this 
messenger, took the crown from his head and gave it to 
him. 

The Pope's messenger kept the crown for five days 
and then he gave it back to John. But he did not give it 
to him as the free King of England. He gave it to him 
telling him that henceforth he could wear it only as the 
servant of the Pope, and that he must promise always to 
do as the Pope commanded. 

The English people felt sad and ashamed that their 
King should be under the Pope like this, but John did not 
care, for the Pope was now his friend. And John knew 
that the Pope could be as powerful a friend as he had 
been an enemy. 

One good thing at least followed. The Interdict was 
taken from the land. Once more church bells rang, 
hymns were sung, and the silent gloom passed away. 

Another good man who had helped to protect the 
people from John now died. When John heard of it he 
was very glad. 'At last I am really King of England,' 
he cried, for he thought that there was no one else in all 
the land to hinder him from being as bad and as cruel 
as he wished. 



174 OUR ISLAND STORY 

But he was mistaken. Stephen Langdon, the man 
whom the Pope had made Archbishop of Canterbury, 
turned out to be the people of England's best friend. 

You remember that King Henry i. had granted a 
Charter of Liberties to the people. That charter had 
been broken, set aside, and forgotten. Stephen Langdon 
and the barons now drew up another charter which they 
determined to make John grant to them. This charter 
was much the same as that of Henry, only it gave still 
greater liberty to the people. It is called the Magna 
Charta or Great Charter. Magna means 'great.' 

The charter is very long and some of it you would 
find difficult to understand, but I will tell you a few of 
the things in it, for the Magna Charta is the foundation 
of all our laws and liberty. 

' No free man,' it says, ' or merchant or peasant shall 
be punished a great deal for a very little fault. However 
bad they may have been we will not take their tools or 
other things by which they earn their living, away from 
them.' 

' No free man shall be seized, or put in prison, or have 
his goods or lands taken away from him, or be outlawed or 
exiled, or in any way brought to ruin, unless he has been 
properly judged and condemned by the law of the land.' 

' To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay right or 
justice.' 

These things seem to us now quite natural and right, 
so you can imagine what evil times these were when the 
King was unwilling to grant such hberty to his people. 

But King John was very unwilling to grant it. 
When he first read this charter he was furiously angry. 
* Why do they not ask for my kingdom at once ? ' he cried. 
' I will never, never grant anything that will make me 
the slave of the people.' 



THE STORY OF THE GREAT CHARTER 175 

But the Church and the barons and the people were all 
against John. Agree he must. Yet he kept delaying, 
from Christmas till Easter, from Easter till midsummer. 
Friend after friend deserted him, till at last he found that 
the whole country had risen against him like one huge 
army, and he had only seven knights left who were still 
true to him. 

The angry barons would no longer be put off. They 
forced the King to meet them at a little place on the 
Thames called Runnymede. The barons and their army 
camped on one side of the river, the King and his friends 
on the other. On a little island between, they met and 
talked, and there, on 15th June 1215 a.d., the Great 
Charter was sealed with the king's great seal. 

The King was sullen and angry. At the last he 
would have refused to set his hand to the seal, but Stephen 
Langdon stood beside him and the stern barons around. 
Then he found that he had to bend his will to that of the 
people. 

John not only sealed the charter, but he agreed that 
twenty-four barons should be appointed to see that he 
kept the promises which it contained. He agreed only 
because he was compelled, because the barons stood 
there in bright armour with sharp swords and fierce looks, 
because he knew he had no friend to stand by him and 
help him to resist. 

When the meeting was over, and John went back to 
his palace, his anger was terrible. He threw himself on 
the floor foaming with passion. ' They have given me 
four-and-twenty over-lords,' he screamed. ' I am no king 
with four-and-twenty over-lords.' He cursed the barons 
and the people with terrible curses. He tore and bit the 
rushes with which the floor was covered. He gnashed 
his teeth, growling and snarling like a wild animal mad 
with rage. 



176 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Yet this charter against which John fought so fiercely 
was nothing new ; the laws and promises it contained 
were the laws and promises of Edward the Confessor, of 
Alfred the Great. But they were also the laws and 
promises which the foreign kings of England had broken 
and trampled on ever since William the Conqueror had 
won the battle of Hastings. 

Many copies of the great charter were made, and 
these copies were sent to cathedrals and other safe places 
to be taken care of. This was done so that the people 
throughout all the land should know of their liberties, 
and if one copy were lost or destroyed, there should still 
be others. It is nearly seven hundred years since Magna 
Charta was sealed, yet one copy still remains. It is 
yellow and stained, yet we treasure it greatly for the 
memory of what it was and is to us. It is kept safely in 
London, in the British Museum. Some day you will go 
there and look at it. 

John sealed the Magna Charta because he had no 
choice, but he never meant to keep the promises it 
contained. And he did not keep them. He sent to 
France for soldiers, and when they came he made war on 
his own people. He asked his friend the Pope for help, 
and the Pope helped him by excommunicating all the 
barons, by laying London under Interdict, and by telling- 
John that he need not keep his promises. 

But the people of England said that this was a matter 
with which the Pope had nothing to do, and so they paid 
no attention to him. The church bells rang; there was 
preaching, praying, and singing in the churches, and 
people were married, and buried, and christened as usual. 
The Pope was very angry, but he could do nothing. 

Then, as John still went on his wicked way, the 
people sent to France and asked Louis, the son of the 




u 



bo 



THE STORY OF THE GREAT CHARTER 177 

King of France, to come to fight against John, promising 
to help him and to make him King of England. 

Louis came, but there was little need for him to 
fight, as very shortly John died. While crossing the 
Wash to meet Louis he, his army and all his treasure 
were overtaken by the tide. John himself was nearly 
drowned, and his crown, his jewels and the baggage of the 
army were lost. 

A few days later John died. Some say that he 
died of anger and grief, others that he was poisoned, 
others that his death was caused by eating a great many 
raw peaches and by drinking a quantity of new cider too 
greedily. 

No king of England has ever been so bad as John. 
He was a bad son, a bad brother, a bad king and a bad 
man. Yet out of his wicked reign great good came to the 
English nation. 

The loss of Normandy, which was caused by John's 
cruelty, proved to be a blessing to England. Norman 
lords no longer came to England expecting to fill the 
best places in the land. French was spoken less and 
less, until only a few French words remained, which we 
still use, and which now form part of the English lan- 
guage. The hatred between Norman and English died 
out, because the differences disappeared, and the Norman 
barons became English barons. 

In the reign of Stephen the barons, you remember, 
were fierce and wicked, and oppressed the people in 
terrible ways. In the reign of John, the barons had 
become the champions of the people, and took up arms 
for them against a wicked king. 

When the barons forced John to grant the Magna 
Charta they fought, not for themselves, as barons and 
Normans, but for the whole English people. For the 



178 OUR ISLAND STORY 

first time since the Conquest the people of England 
acted as one people. The Norman had disappeared. 
England was England again. She had conquered the 
Conqueror, 

' This England never did (nor never shall) 
Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror, 



If England to itself do rest but true.' 



CHAPTER XXXVIl 

HENRY III. OF WINCHESTER— THE STORY OF 
HUBERT DE BURGH 

When King John died, the anger of the barons died too, 
and, although he was only nine years old, they chose his 
son Henry to be their King. * His father was wicked,' 
said the barons, 'but the prince has done us no wrong. 
Why should we be angry with him ? ' So they crowned 
Henry, and told Louis to return to his own country. 

But Louis was angry that, having been brought from 
France and promised the crown of England, he should 
be told to go away again. He would not go. So there 
was fighting once more. 

Louis sent to France for men, and a great fleet of 
ships, filled with soldiers, came sailing to England. 

Long ago, you remember, Alfred the Great had seen 
how much better it would be to stop the Danes from 
landing at all, and he built ships and fought them 
at sea. 

Now a brave man called Hubert de Burgh saw the 
same thing. When he heard that more Frenchmen were 
coming, he said, * We will never let them land. 
We will fight and conquer them at sea.' So under his 
command a brave little English fleet sailed out from 
Dover to meet the great French fleet. 

And the English conquered the French, as Hubert 



180 OUR ISLAND STORY 

had said they would. The wind was blowing from the 
English to the French, and the English threw quick- 
lime in the air, which was blown into the eyes of the 
French and bhnded them. The English archers then 
poured arrows among them while their quick little ships 
crashed with their pointed prows against the great French 
vessels, piercing holes in their sides until the water rushed 
in and they sank. The English were altogether so quick 
and fearless that the French were no match for them, 
and their fleet was utterly destroyed. 

On land, too, the English beat the French, and Louis, 
seeing that his cause was lost, went back to France. 

Henry in. was too young to rule, so Hubert de Burgh 
was made Regent. He was a good Regent, but his work 
was hard, for, after the wickedness and misrule of John, 
the kingdom was in a bad state. 

But in spite of his good and wise teacher Henry grew 
up to be neither good nor wise. Listening to the advice 
of evil friends, he treated Hubert very badly, and at last 
obliged him to fly for his life. 

One night while Hubert was sleeping quietly, he was 
suddenly awakened by a friend. ' Fly, my Lord Hubert,' 
he cried, ' stay not a moment. The King has sent his 
soldiers to take you. I have ridden hard, but they are 
close behind me. You have not a moment to lose.' 

Hubert got out of bed and, not even waiting to dress, 
fled with bare feet and only a cloak round him to the 
nearest church. There, with his hand upon the cross, he 
waited in the dark and cold. 

Hubert fled to a church for sanctuary or safety. 
When any one was hunted by his enemies, if he ran into 
a church, reached the altar steps and laid hold upon the 
cross, no one dared to hurt him. This was called * taking 
sanctuary.' 



THE STORY OF HUBERT DE BURGH 181 

It was considered a dreadful and wicked thing to kill 
any one in sanctuary. Yet, you remember, the knights 
killed Thomas a Becket on the steps of the altar in 
Canterbury Cathedral. 

Hubert waited in the cold and silent church until, with 
the first grey streaks of dawn and the first early twitter 
of the birds, he heard the distant tramp of feet and the 
clatter of swords and armour. Nearer and nearer came 
the sounds till at last a knight, followed by three hundred 
armed men, dashed into the church. 

' Hubert de Burgh,' said the knight, ' in the King's 
name I command you to leave this holy place. Give 
yourself into my hands, that I may take you before the 
King to answer for your misdeeds as a rebel and a traitor.' 

' Nay,' replied Hubert, ' to my King have I ever been 
true, but he has listened to false friends who would take 
my life. Here have I sought God's safety. Here will 
I remain.' 

'That shalt thou not do,' cried the knight, fiercely. 
* On men, and seize him ! ' 

Then the armed men rushed forward, forced Hubert 
from the altar, and carried him out of the church. 

' He is indeed a mighty man and strong,' said the 
knight, when he saw how Hubert struggled. ' He must 
be fettered, or we shall never carry our prize to London.' 

Near the church stood a smith's forge, and the smith, 
who had been already aroused by the noise, was ordered 
to light his fire and make fetters for the prisoner. 

Soon the red fire glowed in the grey morning light, 
and the ring of hammer and anvil was heard. 

* For whom do I make these fetters ? ' asked the smith, 
as he paused in his work. 

' For the traitor and rebel, Hubert de Burgh,' replied 
the knight. 



182 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' What I ' cried the smith, throwing down his hammer, 
' for Hubert de Burgh. That will I never do. Hubert 
de Burgh is no rebel. He saved us from the French, he 
gave us safety and peace. Some one else may do your 
evil deeds. No iron of mine shall ever fetter such noble 
hands.' 

' Fool ! ' cried the knight, drawing his sword, * do as I 
command you or die.' 

* I can die,' replied the smith calmly. * Yes, kill me, 
do with me what you like ; I will never make fetters for 
Hubert de Burgh.' 

When the smith spoke like this, the knight began to 
feel rather ashamed, but he would not let Hubert go, 
both because he hated Hubert, and because he feared the 
King. So he and his followers bound Hubert with a 
rope, set him upon a horse, and took him to the Tower 
of London. 

When the Bishop of London heard what had happened, 
he was very angry. Being a brave man he went straight 
to the King. 

* My liege,' he said to him, ' have you heard how your 
soldiers have broken the peace of holy Church and have 
dragged Hubert de Burgh from sanctuary, casting him 
into prison ? ' 

* I know that the rebel and traitor, Hubert de Burgh, 
is now in prison,' replied Henry. 

* Hubert de Burgh is no rebel,' said the bishop, ' and if 
he were, the soldiers have still no right to drag him from 
the safety of the Church. Let him go back, or I shall 
excommunicate every man who has had to do with it.' 

Very unwillingly the King allowed Hubert to go back 
to his place of safety. But he sent soldiers to dig a 
trench round the church and round the bishop's house 
which was close to it. There the soldiers watched day 



THE STORY OF HUBERT DE BURGH 183 

and night so that Hubert might not escape, and so that no 
food might be taken in to him. 

But in spite of the strict watch kept by the soldiers, 
Hubert's friends found means to send him food, and for 
many days he lived in the church. Then still closer 
watch was kept and, at last, thinking it a disgrace to die 
of hunger, Hubert left the church of his own accord, and 
gave himself up to the King's soldiers, who at once carried 
him off to the Tower of London. 

There he was kept for some time, but at last Henry, 
who was not really cruel, although he was weak and 
foolish, set him free. After that, Hubert lived quietly 
in his own home, and took no more part in the ruling 
of the kingdom. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 

HENRY III. OF WINCHESTER— THE STORY OF 
SIMON DE MONTFORT 

King Henry hi. married a French lady called Eleanor. 
She brought a great many friends and relatives from 
France with her. Soon all the best places at court were 
given to these French people, just as they had been in 
the time of Edward the Confessor and of William the 
Conqueror. 

These strangers did very much as they liked. They 
set aside the Great Charter and, when the English barons 
complained, the French nobles sneered at them. ' What 
are your English laws to us ? ' they said. * We are far 
greater and more important than you. Such laws are 
made for English boors. We will not keep them unless 
we choose.' 

This treatment was not to be borne, and at last the 
English rose in rebellion and forced the King to send 
away his French favourites. 

It would take too long to tell of all the quarrelling and 
fighting there was in this reign. Henry broke the Great 
Charter over and over again. No fewer than ten times 
did he sign it and each time, as soon as he had got what 
he wanted, he broke the promises he had made. But in 
spite of this, the power of the people was growing 
stronger. 

184 



THE STORY OF SIMON DE MONTFORT 185 

Henry spent a great deal of money, far more indeed 
than he ought to have done. But he could not wring 
gold from the people as William the Conqueror had been 
able to do. He had to ask the barons to give it to him, 
and they would not grant it until he promised something 
in return. 

Henry did indeed wring money from the Jews. They 
were the richest and the most despised people in the 
country, and Henry, although he was not usually cruel, 
was very cruel to them. One Jew who refused to give 
Henry money was put into prison. Every morning his 
gaoler came and pulled out one of his teeth, till at last 
the poor man could bear the pain no longer and he gave 
the King what money he wanted. 

The bishops and barons grew tired of broken promises 
and such unkingly acts, so, when next Henry asked for 
money, a great council was called, to which all the barons 
and bishops in England came. 

There was a great deal of talking and it seemed as if 
nothing would come of it. But the barons told Henry 
very sternly that he had not acted as a king ought. He 
had constantly broken his promises and only if he now 
solemnly swore to the Charter would they give him 
money. 

Then Henry answered, ' It is true. I am sadly grieved 
that I have acted as I have done. I will try to do better.' 
But when he tried to blame some of the bishops and 
barons, they sternly said, ' Our lord King, we will not talk 
of what is now past, but of what is to come.' 

Then all the bishops and the archbishops, dressed in 
their splendid robes and carrying lighted candles in their 
hands, walked in solemn procession to the great royal hall 
at Westminster. There, in presence of the King and all 
the barons, they solemnly excommunicated every one who 



186 OUR ISLAND STORY 

should in the future take away in any degree the free- 
dom of England. The words they used were very grand 
and terrible. The King as he listened held his hand 
over his heart. His face was calm and cheerful and 
he looked as if he never had tried, and never would try, 
to take away his people's liberty. 

When the solemn sentence was finished and the deep 
voice of the archbishop died away in silence, all the 
bishops and the archbishops threw down their lighted 
candles, crying, ' May all those who take away our liberties 
perish, even as these lights perish.' 

The bells were then rung joyfully, the candles were 
again lighted, and King Henry, standing among his 
people, spoke, — ' So help me God, all these promises will 
I faithfully keep, as I am a man, a Christian, a knight 
and a crowned and anointed king.' 

Thus once more the Great Charter was solemnly 
signed and sealed. But in spite of this ceremony, Henry 
did not keep his promises. He listened to evil friends, 
who told him that if he did, he would not be king, 
nor even lord in England, but the subject of his 
people. 

Now there arose a great man called Simon de Mont- 
fort, Earl of Leicester. For many years he had been 
the faithful friend of King Henry, whose sister he had 
married. Henry sometimes heaped favours upon him, 
sometimes quarrelled with him, just as he was pulled this 
way or that by his friends. 

When Simon de Montfort first came to England the 
barons did not like him. * Here is another Frenchman,' 
they said, * who comes to eat our bread and take away 
what belongs to us.' But Simon soon showed that, if he 
was French in name, he was English at heart. 

As Henry continually broke his promises, Simon took 



THE STORY OF SIMON DE MONTFORT 187 

the side of the barons and the people, and Henry feared 
him as he feared no other man. 

One day Henry went for a picnic on the Thames. 
He had rowed from his palace at Westminster some 
way down the river, when a thunderstorm came on, and 
he was obliged to take refuge in Simon's house, near 
which he was passing. As he arrived there the thunder- 
storm began to clear. 

* There is nothing to fear now, my lord,' said Simon, as 
he ran to meet the King. 

* I fear the thunder and lightning,' replied the king, 
*but I fear thee more than all the thunder and lightning 
in the world.' 

*My lord King,' replied the earl sadly, 'it is unjust 
that you should fear me who am your faithful friend. I 
have ever been true to you and yours and to the kingdom 
of England. Your flatterers are your enemies. Them 
you ought to fear. ' 

Led by Simon, the barons forced Henry to hold 
a council at Oxford to draw up new laws for the better 
ruling of the kingdom. The wonderful thing about these 
laws was that they were written in English. Ever since 
the Conquest, the laws had been written in French or 
Latin, but at last English laws, for English people, were 
again written in their own language. 

But Henry did not keep these new laws any better 
than he had kept the old ones. The patience of the people 
came to an end and there was war, the King's army fight- 
ing against Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and his 
followers. This was called the Barons' war, and it 
ended in a great battle at Lewes in which the King was 
defeated. 

After this battle it was really Simon de Montfort 
who ruled the country. Henry was indeed still king in 



188 OUR ISLAND STORY 

name, but both he and his son, Prince Edward, were 
Simon de ^lontfort's prisoners. 

It was Simon de JNIontfort who laid the foundation of 
what is now our Parliament. Up to this time only 
bishops and barons had been allowed to come to the 
meetings of the council. Simon, however, now chose two 
knights from every shire or county, and two citizens 
from every city, and sent them also to the council to 
speak for the people and to tell of their wants. Now, 
too, the great council began to be called Parliament, 
which means ' talking-place,' for it is there that the people 
come to talk of all the affairs of the kingdom. 

Unfortunately the barons could not long agree among 
themselves. Prince Edward escaped from Simon and 
joined the discontented barons, and there was another 
battle between the prince's men and Simon's men, in 
which Simon was killed. 

The people had loved Simon, and now they sorrowed 
for his death, and called him a saint, and Sir Simon the 
Righteous. He is also called the Father of the English 
Parliament. 

Although Prince Edward fought against Simon de 
Montfort, he had been his pupil, and had learned much 
from him, and he was growing into a wise prince. He now 
helped to make peace, and when peace again came to the 
land Prince Edward, like so many other princes and kings, 
joined a crusade and went to fight in the Holy Land. 

In 1272 A.D., while his son was still in that far-off 
country. King Henry died, having reigned fifty-six years. 
His reign had not been a happy one for England, yet 
good came of it, for his very weakness made the people 
strong, and out of the troubles of his reign grew our 
freedom of speech and our power to make for ourselves 
the laws under which we have to live. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 

HENRY III.— THE STORY OF THE POISONED DAGGER 

In far-off Palestine the army of the crusaders lay en- 
camped before the town of Acre. The air was hot and 
stifling, the sun seemed a ball of fire hung in the still 
blue sky. Having put off his heavy armour for the sake 
of coolness, Prince Edward lay within his tent, wearing 
only a long, loose robe of linen. He lay idle, thinking 
perhaps of the mighty deeds which his great-uncle, 
Richard Coeur de Lion, had done in this same place, 
eighty years before ; wondering, too, if he would be able 
to do as great things. 

Presently the curtains of the doorway parted. ' My 
lord prince,' said a soldier, bowing low, 'the Emir of 
Jaffa hath sent his servant yet again. He craves to be 
admitted to your presence.' 

* I will receive him,' replied the prince, and the soldier 
once more left the tent. 

Edward had been fighting with the Emir of Jaffa, 
but now, pretending that he wished to become a Christian, 
this Emir sent daily messages and presents to the prince. 
And the prince, noble and honest himself, believed the 
Emir to be honest too. 

In a few minutes the curtains of the doorway parted 
once more and the Emir's dark slave crept in. He 
bowed himself to the ground, then, kneeling humbly 
before the prince, drew out a letter. 

189 



190 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Edward took the letter and, as the prince read, the 
slave crouched on the ground watching him with his 
bright dark eyes. Then slowly, slowly his brown hand 
crept to the belt of his white dress. So slowly it crept 
that it seemed hardly to move. 

Suddenly, as quick as lightning, a keen bright blade 
flashed in the air and fell. But Edward, too, was quick 
and strong. He threw up his hand and caught upon it 
the blow which had been aimed at his heart. Then, 
springing from the couch, he overthrew the slave, and 
placing his foot upon the man's neck, wrenched the dagger 
from his grasp. In another moment the slave lay still 
and dead upon the sand. At the noise of the struggle, 
several frightened servants came running into the tent, 
and one of them, seeing the slave upon the sand, seized 
a stool, and dashed his brains out. 

' Foolish man,' said Prince Edward, * see you not that 
the slave is already dead ? What you do is neither brave 
nor honourable, but the action of a coward.' 

Prince Edward's wound was slight, but the dagger 
had been a poisoned one. When his wife, the beautiful 
Princess Eleanor, heard of it, she hurried to her husband's 
tent. Before those about her knew what she meant to 
do, she knelt down and, putting her lips to the wound, 
sucked it. It was said that if the blood from a poisoned 
wound was sucked at once after the wound was made, 
the wounded person would not die. It was a brave thing 
for Princess Eleanor to do, for she might herself have 
died. But she loved Edward so much that she was 
willing to risk her own life. Yet the wound grew worse, 
and it seemed likely that Edward would die. 

He was very calm and brave, and did not fear death, 
but tried to comfort his friends and servants, for they 
were all very sorrowful. 



STORY OF THE POISONED DAGGER 191 

But the princess sat beside him weeping, and would 
not be comforted. Tlien, calling for parchment and ink. 
Prince Edward wrote down all that he wished to be done 
with his money and lands, after he was dead. This was 
called making his will. 

But a clever doctor came to the prince and said, * I 
think I can cure you, only you will have to suffer a great 
deal of pain.' 

' Do what you think best,' said the prince, ' and cure 
me if you can.' 

Then the princess threw herself upon him, crying 
bitterly, and would not let any one touch him. ' I know 
you only want to hurt him more,' she sobbed, ' I cannot 
bear it.' 

But Edward gently put her away, ' Hush, hush,' he 
said, and gave her into his brother Edmund's arms. 

' Do you love your lord and brother ? ' asked the 
doctor, turning to Edmund. 

' Ay, that I do,' replied he. 

' Then take this lady away, and do not let her lord see 
her again until I tell you.' 

So Princess Eleanor was led away weeping. 

' Ah, weep, lady,' said Edmund gently. ' It is better 
that you should weep than that all England should 
mourn.' 

But England did not mourn, for the doctor was clever, 
and in less than a fortnight Prince Edward was again 
quite well. 

The false Emir sent messengers to Edward to say 
that he was sorry that the prince had been wounded, and 
was glad that he was better. But Edward no longer 
trusted the Emir. He looked gravely at the messengers. 
' You bow before me,' he said, ' but you do not love me, 
therefore go.' 



192 OUR ISLAND STORY 

And they were allowed to go in peace. Although 
Edward's soldiers longed to be revenged upon them and 
kill them, the prince would not allow it. 

After this Edward did not stay long in Palestine. 
He heard that his father was ill, so he made a ten years' 
peace with the Sultan, as the king of the Turks is called, 
and sailed back to England. On his way home he 
heard of his father's death. He knew that that meant 
he was now King of England, but he was very sad, for 
Edward had loved his father, although he could not help 
knowing that in many things he was foolish and un- 
trustworthy. 



CHAPTER XL 

EDWARD I.— THE LITTLE WAR OF CHALONS 

In the days when knights wore armour and fought with 
sword and lance, they used often to play at war, as if 
they had not real fighting enough. 

These mock wars were called tournaments. They 
took place in a great open space or plain, which was 
called the lists. The knights, dressed in full armour, 
with painted shields and waving plumes, met each other 
and fought as they would in battle. Each wore the 
badge of his lady-love in his helmet. Generally the 
weapons which they used were blunted, so that they 
could not hurt each other much, but sometimes the 
weapons were sharp, and the mock fight ended in wounds 
and death. 

Round the lists were seats where fair ladies and great 
princes sat to watch the tournament. Each knight was 
eager to do great deeds, so that he might win the praise 
of the beautiful ladies who looked on. When the joust- 
ing, as it was called, was over, the fairest lady placed a 
crown of bay leaves on the head of the victor. This 
crown was prized more than if it had been of gold and 
gems, and each knight did his best to win it. It was 
thought that no knight could show his love and reverence 
for his lady better than by jousting and tilting in her 
name. 

N 



194 OUR ISLAND STORY 

As Edward travelled home to England he passed 
through France, and near to a little town called Chalons. 
When the count of that place heard that the great 
English prince was passing through his land, he sent a 
message asking that they might meet in a tournament 
with a thousand knights on either side, lance for lance. 

Far and wide Edward was known as a brave and 
courteous warrior, and although his knights whispered 
that the Count of Chalons had no love for the prince and 
meant to do him harm, Edward accepted the challenge, 
as such a message was called. Indeed it seemed to him 
that he was in honour bound to do so, for it was counted 
unknightly to refuse a challenge. Great preparations 
were made, and on a fair day in May the plain of 
Chalons was gay with knights on horseback, and fair 
ladies and people of all ranks in holiday dress, crowding 
to see the tournament. 

The earth seemed to shake as Edward and his thou- 
sand splendid and brave English knights thundered over 
it. But the Count of Chalons came to meet them, not 
with one thousand men as had been agreed, but with two 
thousand. 

Yet the English had no fear, and the tournament 
began. It was soon seen that it was no friendly trial of 
strength, but a fight of bitter hate. 

The count rode again and again at Edward, until his 
lance was splintered in his hand. Then throwing away 
the shaft, he seized the prince round the neck, and tried 
to drag him from his horse. 

This, according to the rules of the tournament, was a 
mean and unknightly thing to do. Edward sat his horse 
like a rock and, great though the strength of the French 
count was, he could not move him. Then suddenly 
Edward spurred his horse, it sprang forward, and the 



THE LITTLE WAR OF CHALONS 195 

count, who still clung tightly to Edward, was pulled from 
his saddle and fell to the ground with a fearful crash. 

Enraged at such unknightly behaviour, Edward 
leaped down and beat with the shaft of his lance upon 
the armour of the fallen count, heeding not his cries for 
mercy. As of a hammer upon an anvil, blow after blow 
fell, until at last the rage of the prince was spent, and he 
allowed the count to rise. 

The count then offered his sword to the prince in 
token of submission, but Edward turned from him in 
scorn. ' Nay, sir knight,' he said, ' this day have you 
proved yourself no true knight. My servants may receive 
your tarnished sword, I shall not touch it.' So the count 
was obliged to give up his sword to a common soldier, 
which, for a true knight, was the deepest disgrace. 

Meanwhile the English archers outside the lists, seeing 
that the French knights far outnumbered the English, 
and that there was no fair play, shot with their arrows at 
the horses of the French. Many of them fell dead, 
dragging their riders to the ground, where they lay help- 
less, trampled upon ahke by friend and foe. Then the 
French foot-soldiers joined in the fight, and the tourna- 
ment became a battle. 

The English were far outnumbered, but even so they 
had the best of it. They took many of the French 
knights prisoners, making them pay large sums of money 
for their freedom. The common soldiers they slew 
because, they said, ' they were but rascals and of no great 
account.' 

So fierce a tournament was this that, ever after, it 
was called ' The little war of Chalons.' 



CHAPTER XLI 

EDWARD I.— THE LAWGIVER— THE STORY OF THE FIRST 
PRINCE OF WALES 

Soon after * The little war of Chalons,' Edward reached 
England. The people welcomed him with delight, and 
he and his beautiful queen, Eleanor, were crowned at 
Westminster Abbey with great splendour. 

Since the days of Alfred no king had been received 
with such joy and love, for the people felt that Edward 
was truly and indeed an English king. 

We think now that such names as Henry, Richard, 
and John are English names. But they were not known 
in England until after the Conquest, when they were 
brought into England by the French. For more than two 
hundred years the kings of England had borne French 
names, and had indeed been Frenchmen. But Edward 
was a Saxon name. The King had been born and had 
lived nearly all his life in England, he spoke the English 
language, and he loved his people and his country, which 
no king of England since Harold had truly done. Not 
only did Edward love his people, but he longed for their 
love in return, and tried to be a good king. 

The feasting and rejoicing at the coronation continued 
for a fortnight. Many large new buildings had to be 
made to hold all the guests. The streets were hung 
with silk and embroidery. Rich men scattered handfuls 



STORY OF FIRST PRINCE OF WALES 197 

of gold and silver to the people. Fountains ran with 
wine instead of water. For the coronation feast alone 
there were needed three hundred and eighty cattle, four 
hundred and thirty sheep, four hundred and fifty pigs, 
eighteen wild boars, two hundred and seventy-eight 
flitches of bacon, and twenty thousand fowls. Never 
had there been such feasting and grandeur in England. 

The King of Scotland came to the coronation, and with 
him a hundred knights. When they got off their horses 
they let them go free, and any one who caught them 
might keep them. Seeing this, and not wishing to be 
outdone, the King's brother, Edmund, and three other 
nobles came each with a hundred knights riding upon 
splendid horses and, leaping down, they, too, let them go 
free for any one to have who would. 

Edward was crowned King of England, Lord of Ire- 
land, and Duke of Aquitaine. Aquitaine was all that 
remained of the great French possessions of Henry ii. 
But Edward longed to rule over the whole island of 
Britain ; he wanted to be Prince of Wales and King of 
Scotland as well as King of England. 

You remember that hundreds of years before this, 
when the Saxons came to Britain, they gradually drove 
the Britons out before them, until they took refuge in 
the mountains of Wales. There they remained, speaking 
the ancient British language and having very little inter- 
course with the English, but often fighting with them. 
And the kings of England, ever since the days of 
Edward the Confessor, had from time to time forced the 
Welsh to own them as over-lords. 

When Edward came to the throne he sent for Llew- 
ellyn, Prince of Wales, to come to do homage ; that is, 
to own him as his over-lord. Llewellyn would not come. 
Six times did Edward send. Still Llewellyn refused. 



198 OUR ISLAND STORY 

This made Edward very angry and, hearing that a 
beautiful lady was coming from France to be married to 
Llewellyn, he seized her and kept her prisoner in London. 
He then sent messengers to the Prince of Wales, telling 
him that he should have his bride when he had done 
homage, and not till then. Llewellyn, instead of sub- 
mitting, was furiously angry. He raised an army and 
marched against Edward. But brave little Wales could 
not do much against great England. The Welsh were 
soon defeated and scattered, and their prince starved into 
submission in his castle on Snowdon. But as soon as 
Llewellyn did homage to Edward as his over-lord, the 
king acknowledged him as the Prince of Wales, and not 
only let him have his bride but made a great wedding- 
feast for her and gave her many presents. So there was 
peace. 

But peace did not last long. 

In the days when Arthur was king. Merlin, his 
wise councillor, had foretold that when money should 
be round, a Prince of Wales should be crowned in 
London. Before the time of Edward i. there was very 
little money of any kind. When people wanted to give 
change, they took a large piece of money and cut it into 
two or three or four pieces, just as they liked. This of 
course made it easy to cheat with money, for, when a coin 
was cut up, it became difficult to know whether it really 
was a coin or not. 

Edward made a law forbidding people to cut coins 
into pieces, and he had pennies and small silver coins 
made, in order that people could give change. So money 
was round, instead of being all sorts of shapes as it had 
been. 

The Welsh thought that the time of which Merlin 
had spoken had now come, and they began to fight with 



STORY OF FIRST PRINCE OF WALES 199 

the English, hoping to conquer them and to see Llewellyn 
crowned in London. 

But the Welsh were again defeated, and this time 
Llewellyn was killed. In the cruel fashion of those days 
his head was cut off and sent to London. There it was 
crowned with a silver crown and carried through the 
streets on a spear, and at last it was set upon the Tower, 
wreathed with willow. The English laughed unkindly, 
saying that the prophecy was fulfilled. 

Sad and overcome, the Welsh once more owned 
England's king as lord, but, when the barons came to do 
homage to Edward, he promised to give them a Welsh 
prince as ruler, one who had been born in Wales, and 
who could neither speak French nor English. On the day 
appointed, when the barons gathered to do homage to this 
new ruler, Edward appeared before them carrying in his 
arms his little baby son, who had been born at Caernarvon 
Castle only a few days before. He was truly a prince 
who could neither speak French nor English, nor indeed 
any other language. 

This little prince was named Edward, like his father. 
Ever since that time, the eldest son of the King of 
England has been called the Prince of Wales, and 
England and Wales have formed one kingdom. 



CHAPTER XLII 

EDWARD I.— THE HAMMER OF THE SCOTS 

When Edward had joined Wales to England, he longed 
more than ever to gain possession of Scotland. It seemed, 
too, as if he might succeed in doing this, for the King of 
Scotland died, and the heir to the throne was a little 
princess called the Maid of Norway. 

Edward i. arranged with the people of Scotland that 
this princess should marry his son Edward, Prince of 
Wales, and in that way England and Scotland would be 
peaceably joined together. But unfortunately, on her 
way from Norway to claim the crown of Scotland, the 
princess died. So Edward's hopes of joining the two 
countries together in that way were at an end. 

After the death of the Maid of Norway, twelve 
Scottish nobles claimed the crown, and, as they could not 
agree as to who had really the best right to it, they asked 
Edward, who was known to be a wise and just man, to 
settle the question. 

Edward said that a man called John Balliol had the 
best right to the crown of Scotland, and John was 
accordingly crowned at Scone, the town where all the 
kings of Scotland were crowned. 

But before Edward said that John was the real heir, 
he made him promise to own the King of England as 
over-lord. 

Edward had no right to demand this homage, and 



THE HAMMER OF THE SCOTS 201 

John Balliol had no right to give it. But John did give 
it. Perhaps he thouglit, if he did not, Edward would 
choose some one else. 

The Scotch had always been a warlike people, and, 
ever since the days of the Romans, they had fought with 
the people in the south part of the island, and had tried 
to take away part of their land. At last it had been 
agreed between the kings of England and Scotland that 
the Scotch should be allowed to keep part of the north of 
England, on condition that they did homage for that part, 
just as the Norman kings of England did homage to the 
King of France for Normandy and their other French pos- 
sessions. But the King of England had no more right 
over Scotland than the King of France had over England. 

The people of Scotland were very far from agreeing 
to John Balliol's bargain with Edward, and in less than a 
year quarrels began, and war followed. Edward marched 
into Scotland with a great army, and although the Scotch 
were in the right and fighting for their freedom, Edward 
was the stronger, and the Scotch were defeated. 

Edward, thinking he had conquered the Scotch, went 
back to England, taking with him the crown and sceptre 
of Scotland, and also the 'Stone of Destiny' on which 
the Scottish kings sat when they were crowned. This 
stone was supposed to be the very stone which Jacob 
used as a pillow when he slept in the wilderness and saw 
the vision of the ladder up to heaven, with the angels 
going up and down upon it. The Scotch prized this 
stone very highly, and it had been prophesied that wher- 
ever it was, there the kings of Scotland would be 
crowned. 

' Unless the fates are faithless found. 
And prophet's voice be vain, 
Where'er this monument is found, 
The Scottish race shall reign ' 



202 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Edward took the Stone of Destiny to Westminster, 
and there it remains to this day, and it is always used 
when the kings of Britain are crowned. 

Besides taking these treasures away, Edward caused 
many of the old Scottish records to be destroyed, hoping 
in that way to make the people forget their freedom. 
But all this only made the Scotch more determined not 
to submit to the King of England. Their weak king, 
John Balliol, fled, but other brave leaders arose, and wars 
between England and Scotland continued until Edward 
died in 1307 a.d. 

Edward died while on his way to fight once more 
against the Scotch. He was within sight of its blue 
mountains, and he died knowing that its people were still 
free, and that his dearest wish was not fulfilled. The 
disappointed king begged his son to go on with the war, 
to carry his bones with the army, and bury his heart in 
Scotland. 

But Edward ii. did not do as his father wished. He 
turned back to London, and Edward i. lies buried in 
Westminster, where you may still see his grave with 
these lines upon it in Latin : * Here lies Edward i., the 
Hammer of the Scots, 1308. Keep troth.' 

Edward i. has many names : Edward of Westminster, 
because he was born there ; Edward Longshanks, be- 
cause he was very tall and his legs were long and thin ; 
Edward, the Hammer of the Scots, because of the many 
battles he fought with them ; but the name by which it 
is best to remember him is Edward, the Lawgiver. He 
earned this name by the many wise laws which he made. 
Although his people were not always pleased with these 
laws at first, they generally came to see that they were 
just and good. 

Edward was a great soldier and a valiant knight, but 



THE HAMMER OF THE SCOTS 203 

it was because he loved England and made good laws, 
because he was a true naan and kept his word, that his 
people loved him, and mourned for him when he died. 

* All that are of heart true, 

A while hearken to my song 

Of douleur that death hath dealt us new 

That maketh me sigh and sorrow among ; 

Of a knight that was so strong 

Of whom God hath done His will : 

Methinks that death hath done us wrong 

That he so soon shall lie still. 

* All England ought to know 

Of whom that song is that I sing ; 

Of Edward, king that lieth so low. 

Through all the world his name did spring. 

Truest man in everything. 

And in war wary and wise 

For him we ought our hands to wring, 

Of Christendom he bare the prize. 

' Now is Edward of Caernarvon 
King of England in his right, 
God never let him be worse man 
Than his father, nor less of might. 
To hold his poor man to right. 
And understand good council, 
All England to rule and direct 
Of good knights there need not him fail. 

' Though my tongue were made of steel. 
And my heart smote out of brass. 
The goodness might I never tell 
That with King Edward was. 
King, as thou art called conqueror. 
In each battle thou hadest the prize ; 
God bring thy soul to the honour 
That ever was and ever is 
That lasteth aye without end. 
Pray we God and our Lady 
To that bliss Jesus us send,' 



CHAPTER XLIIl 

EDWARD II. OF CAERNARVON— THE STORY OF KING 
ROBERT THE BRUCE AND BOHUN 

When Edward, the first Prince of Wales, was young, he 
had a French friend called Piers Gaveston. Piers was 
tall and handsome and gay, but he was wicked. He led 
the prince into all kinds of mischief until at last King 
Edward i. put his son in prison for a time, and banished 
Piers from the kingdom. 

When Edward lay dying he begged his son never to 
bring Piers back again. The Prince of Wales promised, 
but, as soon as his father was dead, he broke his word and 
sent for Piers. Edward ii. made Piers Earl of Cornwall, 
and married him to a great lady. Then leaving him to 
rule England the King crossed to France to marry the 
beautiful Princess Isabella. 

The English barons were very angry at again having 
a foreigner to rule. They hated Piers, and Piers laughed 
at and insulted them. He called them all sorts of 
names, such as ' the Jew,' * the actor,' ' the black dog,' 
and ' the hog.' 

Piers made Edward ii. do many wicked things. The 
King filled the court with bad and foolish people like 
himself, sending away the wise men who had helped 
Edward i. to rule. 

At last the hatred of the barons grew so fierce that 

204 



ROBERT THE BRUCE AND BOHUN 205 

they forced Edward to send Piers away, and when after 
a time Edward brought him back, they seized him and 
put him to death. 

Edward was very angry with the barons for killing 
Piers, and he was sad too, for he had really loved his friend. 
He was too weak a king, however, to punish the barons, 
so he was obliged to pretend that he forgave them. But 
he did not become a better king, even after his favourite 
was dead. 

Meanwhile the Scotch were fighting against the 
English, and driving them out of Scotland. A king, 
called Robert the Bruce, was now upon the throne, and 
under him the Scotch fought so bravely that soon the 
English had lost all the Scotch towns which they had, 
except Stirling. The castle of Stirling was strong, and 
the English soldiers within it brave. But the Scotch 
were brave too, and determined, for they were fighting 
for their freedom and their country. At last the gover- 
nor, feeling that he could hold out no longer, promised 
to yield the castle on 24th June 131 4 a.d., if before then 
no help came to him. 

When Edward ii. heard that Stirling was in danger, 
he at last roused himself. He gathered a great army of 
English, Irish, Welsh, and French, barons and men of 
high degree, with their servants and followers — a hundred 
thousand men in all. Such a splendid army as now 
marched over the border had never before been seen in 
Scotland. 

As they passed through the country to Stirling, fear 
filled the hearts of the women and children. They 
thought of their husbands, and fathers and brothers who 
were gathered at Stirling to meet this great army, and 
wept for them as lost. 

The whole of Robert the Bruce's army numbered less 



206 OUR ISLAND STORY 

than forty thousand men, and they were neither so well 
drilled nor so well armed as the English. But King 
Robert was a great soldier and a wise general. He knew 
that he could only hope to defeat the English by using 
his brain as well as his sword and battle-axe. Therefore 
he chose the position of his army with great care. In 
front there lay marshes, through which the English would 
have to ride in order to reach the Scotch, who were 
drawn up upon the dry plain beyond. Where the 
ground was firm, Bruce made his men dig pits about three 
feet deep. These pits were filled with twigs and branches 
of gorse, and the turf was then laid over them again, so 
that from a distance it seemed like a firm and level plain. 

On one side of King Robert's position rose the steep 
castle hill, and on the other flowed the little stream called 
the Bannock. Only from the front could the English 
attack, and the front was guarded by pits and marshes. 

Not till the 23rd of June, the very day before the 
governor of the castle had promised to give up the 
castle, did King Edward appear and camp opposite the 
Scottish army. 

When King Robert heard that the English were near 
he drew up his army in battle array ready to fight, 
although he did not expect to do so that day. 

Randolph, Earl of Moray, the nephew of King 
Robert, was given charge of a small body of horsemen, 
and told that he must stop any of the English who might 
try to get into StirUng. For it might have been very 
bad for the Scotch had the English been able to take a 
strong position there. 

The Scottish leaders stood watching the advance of 
the English, when King Robert's eye caught the gleam 
of armour away to the east. Turning to his young 
nephew he said, ' Ah, Randolph, a rose has fallen from 



ROBERT THE BRUCE AND BOHUN 207 

your crown.' By this he meant that Randolph had 
niissed a chance of making himself famous. For a party 
of English horsemen were quietly stealing towards Stir- 
ling, and Randolph, who had been told to prevent this, 
had not noticed. 

Too ashamed to reply Randolph called to his men and 
dashed upon the English. They turned and charged 
Randolph so fiercely that Douglas, another of the Scot- 
tish leaders, begged to be allowed to go to his help. 

' No,' replied King Robert, * let Randolph win back 
the honour which he has lost, or die. I cannot risk the 
whole battle because of a careless boy. Leave him.' 

So Douglas waited and watched. It seemed to him as 
if the little company of Scotchmen were being swallowed 
up by the English horsemen. 

Then Douglas could bear it no longer. ' My lord King, 
I pray you, let me go,' he said. * Randolph and his men 
are sore pressed. I cannot stand idly by and see him die.' 
And scarcely waiting for permission Douglas rode off. 

But, as he came near to Randolph, he saw that the 
English were giving way. ' Halt,' he called to his men. 
* Randolph has no need of our help. We will not take 
the honour from him.* And without striking a blow, he 
and his men turned and rode back to the King. 

Soon the English horsemen were seen flying from the 
field, and Randolph, joyful and victorious, returned to his 
place. He had recovered the rose which had fallen from 
his crown. 

Meanwhile the rest of the English army was steadily 
advancing. King Robert the Bruce, mounted upon a 
little brown pony and wearing a gold crown upon his 
helmet, rode up and down in front of his army, watching 
everything, commanding and encouraging. His armour 
was light, and for a weapon he carried only a battle-axe. 



208 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Seeing King Robert so lightly armed, an English 
knight, called Sir Henry de Bohun, thought he would 
earn a sfreat name for himself and win the battle at one 
blow. So setting spurs to his horse he rushed upon the 
King at full speed. 

As the full-armed knight came thundering along on 
his great war-horse, King Robert, sitting firmly on his 
little pony, waited calmly. When Bohun reached him, 
when the sharp point of the spear almost touched his 
armour, Bruce suddenly made his pony spring to one side. 
The knight flashed past him. Quick as lightning Bruce 
turned, rose in his stirrups, and lifting his battle-axe high 
in the air, brought it crashing down upon the helmet 
of Bohun. Head and helmet were split, and without a 
groan Bohun fell dead to the ground, while his riderless 
horse galloped wildly away. 

Cheer upon cheer rose from the Scottish ranks and 
the nobles crowded round their King, glad yet vexed 
with him. ' My lord, my lord, is it well thus to risk 
your life ? ' they said. ' Had you been killed, our cause 
were lost.' 

But the King paid no heed to them. * I have broken 
my good axe,' was all he said, ' I have broken my 
good axe.' 




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CHAPTER XLIV 

EDWARD II. OF CAERNARVON— THE STORY OF THE 
BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN 

After the death of Bohun there was no more fighting 
that day. The sun soon set, and during the short 
summer night the two armies lay opposite each other, 
silently waiting for the dawn. 

When day broke, the whole plain was astir. Trumpets 
sounded, drums beat, and as the English army advanced, 
they seemed to roll onward like mighty waves. ' No 
hand but God's can save us from so great a host,' said 
the Scots. And, as a holy abbot with bare feet and 
head passed along the lines to bless them, they knelt in 
prayer. 

* See,' cried King Edward, ' they kneel ! they ask for 
mercy ! ' 

* True,' replied the knight to whom he spoke, * they 
ask for mercy, but from Heaven, not from us. These 
men will conquer, or die on the field.' 

The fight began, and long and fiercely it raged. The 
Scottish horse scattered the English archers, and the 
English horse fell into the pits which Bruce had caused 
to be dug. The English army was already in confusion 
when suddenly, over the brow of a neighbouring hill, 
there appeared what seemed to them another Scottish 
army. 

o 



210 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Then the English fled. Blind with fear they rode, 
hardly knowing where. Many were drowned while trying 
to cross the river Forth, others fell over the rocky banks 
of the Bannock till the stream was choked with the dead. 

The new army which had so frightened the English 
was no army at all, but only the servants and camp- 
followers whom Bruce had separated from the soldiers 
and sent to wait behind the hill. They had grown tired 
of watching and doing nothing, so they tied cloths on to 
poles for banners, armed themselves with sticks, and came 
to join the fight. They came just at the right time, for 
the English, already beginning to feel that the battle was 
lost, fled before this new host. 

Edward, although he was no coward, fled too. He 
went first to Stirling, but the Governor would not let 
him stay there. ' Have you forgotten, my lord,' he said, 
' that to-morrow I must yield up the castle to the King 
of Scots ? If you remain here you will become his 
prisoner.' 

So Edward rode south, attended only by a few knights. 
One brave man rode with the King until he thought he 
was safe, then drawing rein, 'Farewell, my liege,' he said, 
' I am not wont to flee,' and turning he rode back, and 
fell fighting with his face to the enemy. 

The King fled on, and he had need to flee fast. For, 
when it became known that he had left the field, he was 
hotly pursued as far as Dunbar, which was still in the 
hands of the English. From there he went in a little 
fishing-boat to Berwick and so reached England and 
safety. 

* So eagerly he was pursued, 
They got to him so near, 
He was on point of being ta'en, 
But got into Dunbar. 



THE BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN 211 

* To Berwick in a fishing boat 
They sculled him away. 
While to be kept from wrath of Scots 
He earnestly did pray/ 

Upon the field many of England's noblest men lay 
dead, many were wounded, many taken prisoner. So 
much spoil fell into the hands of the Scotch, and so much 
money was paid to them as ransom for their prisoners, 
that it was said that Scotland became rich in one day. 
Scotland became not only rich but free in one day, for if 
the battle of Bannockburn did not quite end the war, it 
showed what Scotsmen loving their country could do, 
and in the dark days which were still to come they never 
again despaired. 

The battle of Bannockburn is the greatest battle ever 
fought on Scottish ground. It is great not because so 
many noble men fell upon the field ; but because at one 
blow it made the Scotch free. 

Beaten and angry Edward returned to England, and 
the rest of his life was dark and miserable. He ruled so 
badly that at last the nobles put him from the throne, 
and crowned his little son, who was also called Edward. 

Edward ii.. King no longer, was sent as a prisoner 
from castle to castle. No one loved nor cared for him, 
and each new gaoler treated the poor, fallen King worse 
than the last, till one night terrible shrieks rang through 
the castle in which he was imprisoned. In the morning 
Edward ii. was found dead. He had been murdered. 



CHAPTER XI.V 

EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR— THE STORY OF THE 
BATTLE OF SLUYS 

When Edward iii. was made king in 1327 a.d., he was 
only fourteen. He was too young to rule, and the power 
was really in the hands of his mother, Queen Isabella, 
and of a man called Roger Mortimer, Earl of March. 
Both the Queen and the Earl were wicked, so it 
was a sad time for England. There was fighting with 
Scotland, fighting with France, sorrow and misery at 
home. 

When Edward was eighteen he resolved that he 
would no longer be king in name only. He took the 
Earl of March prisoner, tried him for the wicked things 
he had done, and condemned him to death. 

Queen Isabella he shut up in a castle, and would 
no longer allow her to rule the kingdom. But he gave 
her money to spend, and he went to visit her once every 
year. 

King Edward then really began to reign. He made 
peace with France, and, I am sorry to say, war again with 
Scotland. But after fighting there for some time he left 
Scotland, and began to fight again with France. 

The war which now began is called the ' Hundred 

Years' War,' because it lasted, with times of peace between, 

for a hundred years. It began because Edward said that 
Hi 



STORY OF THE BATTT.E OF SLUYS 213 

he had a right to be King of France as well as King of 
England. He said this was so because his mother, Queen 
Isabella, was the sister of King Charles iv. of France, 
who had died, leaving no son to succeed him. But the 
French had a law by which women were not allowed to 
wear the crown, so Edward had really no right to it. 
He could not receive from his mother what had never 
been hers. King Philip v., who now had the crown, 
would, of course, not give it up, so a fierce and bitter 
war began. 

The first great fight was at sea. Edward sailed from 
England with a fleet of about three hundred ships. As 
he came near to Sluys, a town in Flanders, he saw such 
a number of masts that it seemed as if a forest had 
come sailing out to sea. 

* What ships are these ? ' said King Edward to the 
captain of his vessel. 

' They are the ships of the King of France,' replied the 
captain. * They have oftentime plundered your coasts. 
They lately burned the town of Southampton and took 
your good ship the Christopher.' 

' Ah, 1 have long wished to meet them,* replied the 
King. * Now, please God and St. George, we will fight 
them ; for in truth they have done me so much mischief, 
I will be revenged upon them if possible.' 

Edward's wife, Queen Philippa, was at Ghent, and 
Edward had many ladies on board who were going to 
join her there. So he arranged his vessels with great 
care, for he knew that the French had far more men and 
ships than he had. He placed the ladies in the safest 
place, and guarded them carefully with a large body 
of archers and soldiers. 

As the sun and wind were both against Edward, 
he lowered his sails and moved round so that the sun 



214 OUR ISLAND STORY 

should be behind him. The French seeing this thought 
that he was afraid, and that he was running away. They 
had been waiting for the English in strong battle array. 
All their ships were fastened together with heavy chains 
so as to make it impossible for the English ships to break 
through their lines. Seeing the English flee, as they 
thought, the French unfastened the chains and made 
ready to pursue. 

As the royal standard floated from the masthead the 
French knew that the King of England was with his fleet, 
and they hoped to take him prisoner. They filled the 
Christopher^ the ship which they had taken from the 
English, with trumpeters and drummers and, to the 
sound of music and shouting, sent it to attack the 
English. 

But the English won their own ship back again, 
and amid great cheering manned it with Englishmen 
once more. 

The battle was fierce and terrible. The English 
were often in great danger, for the French were much 
the stronger, but when the battle was over there were 
very few Frenchmen left, and most of their ships were 
sunk or destroyed. 

It was such a dreadful defeat that no one dared tell 
the King of France about it. 

At last his court fool told him. 

In those days great people always had some one 
near to amuse them by making jokes, and by laughing 
at everything. He was called a fool, although some- 
times he was very wise and witty. But because he was 
called a fool he was allowed to say what he liked, and no 
one was angry with him. 

'The English are great cowards,' said the French 
king's fool to him one day. 



STORY OF THE BATTLE OF SLUYS 215 

' Why so ? ' asked the King. 

' Because they have not the courage to jump into the 
sea and be drowned, like the French at Sluys,' replied 
the fool. 

In this way King Philip was told of the loss of all 
his ships, and his anger was so terrible that even his fool 
fled from him in fear. 



CHAPTER XLVI 

EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR— THE STORY OF THE 
BATTLE OF CRECY 

Six years after the battle of Sluys another great battle 
was fought between the French and English at a place 
called Crecy. Edward had been marching through France 
for some time, when he heard that King Philip was close 
behind him with an army of 120,000 men. He himself 
had only 20,000 men, but he resolved to camp where he 
was, on a rising ground near the little French village of 
Crecy, and there conquer or be conquered. 

On Saturday, 26th August 1346 a.d., Edward rose very 
early. He divided his army into three parts. One part 
he gave in command of his young son Edward, the Black 
Prince. Prince Edward took his name from the black 
armour which he always wore, and at this time he was 
only seventeen years old. 

Having divided his army. King Edward, carrying a 
white wand in his hand and mounted upon a pony, rode 
slowly through the ranks, talking to the soldiers and 
encouraging them. He looked so cheerful and spoke so 
bravely, that the soldiers cheered him as he passed among 
them, and if any of them had felt afraid, they took heart 
again. 

Then Edward gave orders that the men should have 
breakfast sitting on the ground where they were, each 
man in his place. So the men took off their helmets 

216 



STORY OF THE BATTLE OF CRECY 217 

and, laying their weapons down, ate and drank as they 
sat upon the ground. 

The King himself went to a windmill near by, and 
there waited and watched for the French to arrive. 

When at last the French came in sight, it was about 
three o'clock in the afternoon. Then each man of the 
English rose, put on his helmet, took his weapon in his 
hand, and stood waiting. 

King Philip meanwhile told four knights to ride 
quickly forward and bring back news of the English army. 
The English saw these knights, and saw, too, that they 
had come to spy, but they took no notice of them, and 
let them return to King Philip. 

* My lords, what news ? ' said he, as they rode back to him. 
The knights looked at each other in silence, each 

waiting for the other to speak first. 

* Come, my lords, what news ? ' said the King again. 
Then the bravest of the knights said, * I speak, my 

lord King, as you desire, and I hope that my companions 
will tell you if they think that I say wrong. The Enghsh 
are encamped in a strong place. They are well-fed and 
rested, and are waiting for you. Our soldiers are hungry 
and weary with the long march. My advice is that you 
halt here, let the soldiers rest to-night, and to-morrow 
they will be fresh and able to conquer the English.' 

' I thank you, my lord,' replied Philip, * it is good 
advice and shall be followed.' Then turning to his 
generals, ' Go,' he said, ' command a halt.' 

Two generals rode off, one to the front, the other to 
the rear, calling out as they went, ' Halt banners, in the 
name of God and St. Denis. ' 

The soldiers in front halted as they were commanded, 
but those behind would not do so. * We shall not halt 
until we are as far forward as the others,' they said, and 



218 OUR ISLAND STORY 

they marched on. When they overtook the soldiers in 
front, these feehng themselves being pushed forward from 
behind, moved on too, and neither the King nor the 
generals could stop them. 

They marched on until they came close to the Eng- 
lish. When the soldiers in front saw that they were near 
the English they fell back, but those behind still pressed 
forward so that the confusion was great. The roads behind 
the French army were filled with peasants and country 
people armed with sticks and stones. These peasants 
made a great noise, and shouting * kill, kill,' were eager 
to be at the English. They mixed with the army, and 
made the confusion worse still. 

In a few minutes all order was lost, and King Philip, 
seeing that there was no help for it, decided to begin the 
battle at once. Besides, as soon as he saw the English, 
his anger against them rose so that he longed to be 
fighting them. 

' Forward, archers, and begin the battle, in the name of 
God and St. Denis,' he cried. 

The archers advanced, shouting fiercely, in order to 
frighten the English. 

But the English stood still. Not a man moved so 
much as a finger. 

Again the French archers shouted. 

Still the English never moved. 

With a third fierce yell the French archers shot. 

Then the English archers made one step forward, 
raised their bows, and shot arrow after arrow till it seemed 
as if it snowed. 

When the French archers felt these terrible arrows 
pierce their arms, breast, head, and legs, even through 
the armour which they wore, they threw down their 
bows and fled 



STORY OF THE BATTLE OF CRECY 219 

These archers were not Frenchmen, but Italians, whom 
Phihp had hired to help him in his war with the English, 
and when he saw them throw down their bows and run 
away he was dreadfully angry, ' Kill these cowards,' he 
shouted, ' they do but stop the way and are of no use.' 
So the French horsemen dashed upon the flying archers, 
who, having thrown down their bows, had no other 
weapon, and killed as many as they could, while the 
English poured arrows upon archers and horsemen 
alike. 

It was a terrible battle, and to make it seem still worse, 
there was an eclipse of the sun and a thunderstorm while 
it was going on. The sky became black, thunder roared, 
lightning flashed, and rain fell in torrents. Great flocks 
of crows flew over the field caw-cawing, in such a fearful 
manner, that even the bravest felt afraid, and thought 
something dreadful was going to happen. 

At this battle, too, cannon were used for the first time. 
Gunpowder had been invented only a short time before, 
and people did not yet know what a terrible thing it 
would become in battle. The English had four cannon. 
They were made of wood bound round with iron, and 
although perhaps they did not kill many people, they at 
least frightened the French, who already had so much 
else to make them afraid. 

Meanwhile the Black Prince was fighting gallantly 
with his part of the army. But the French about him 
were so fierce that his knights began to fear for his safety. 
So a messenger was sent to the King, who was watching 
the battle from the windmill. 

' Sire,' said the messenger, ' we entreat you to send 
help to the Prince, your son.' 

' Is my son dead ? ' asked the King, 

' No, sire, thank God.' 



220 OUR ISLAND STORY 

* Is he wounded ? ' 

* No, sire, but he is in danger. The French are fierce 
about him and he is in need of help.' 

* Then, sir,' replied the King, ' if my son is neither 
dead nor wounded, go back to those who sent you. Tell 
them not to send again to me this day. Tell them 
that if they do I shall neither come nor send help so 
long as my son is living. Tell them that I command 
them to let the boy win his spurs, for I wish the glory 
of the day to be his. God will guard him.' 

The knight returned and told the others what the 
King had said, and they were sorry that they had sent 
any such message, and resolved to fight to the last. 

Edward said that he wanted the Prince to win his 
spurs. By that he meant that he hoped he would do 
such brave deeds that he might be made a knight. When 
any one was made a knight he received a pair of golden 
spurs. So when a man did a great deed worthy of a 
knight he was said to have 'won his spurs.' 

The King of Bohemia was with the French army, and 
his son Charles was fighting for Philip. The King him- 
self could not fight because he was blind. When he 
heard that the day was going against the French, he 
asked where his son was. 

' We know not,' replied the knights who were round 
him. ' Doubtless he is in the thickest of the fight.' 

Really he had fled from the field, but these gallant 
knights would not grieve their brave old king by telling 
him so. 

' I, too, would strike a blow,' said the blind king. 
*Lead me into the battle.' The knights fastened their 
horses together with the King of Bohemia in the middle, 
so that they might not lose him in the crowd of soldiers, 
and dashed into the fight. When the day was over they 



STORY OF THE BATTLE OF CRECY 221 

were all found dead together, the King still in the middle 
of them, and their horses still bound to each other. 

In those days a knight always had a crest and motto, 
called a device, painted upon his shield. The crest of the 
King of Bohemia was three feathers, and his motto was 
Ich dien, which is German and means * I serve.' The 
arms of a fallen foe belonged to the conqueror. So when 
after the battle the Black Prince was made a knight, he 
took the motto and the crest of the King of Bohemia for 
his own. It has been borne ever since by the eldest 
son of the King of England. And that is why the Prince 
of Wales has a German motto. 

When night came and the terrible noise and clamour 
of fighting ceased, the French were beaten, and their 
king had fled from the field. The King of England came 
down from the windmill where he had remained watching 
the fight. He had not struck a blow, nor put on his helmet 
all day ; not because he was a coward, but because he 
wanted the Black Prince to have all the praise of the 
victory. There, on the battle-field, he took his son in his 
arms and kissed him. ' Dear son,' he said, ' God give 
you strength to go on as you have begun. Bravely and 
nobly have you fought, and you are worthy to be a king. 
The honour of the day is yours.' 

The Prince bowed before his father. * I do not deserve 
any praise,' he said, ' I have only done my duty.' But 
he had shown himself so brave that his father made him a 
knight. He was one of the first knights of the Order of 
the Garter, a new Order which Edward iii. founded, and 
which to this day is considered one of the greatest honours 
the King can bestow upon any one. You shall hear why 
it was called by this name. 

King Edward iii. loved the stories of Arthur and 
his knights of the Round Table. He made a new Round 



222 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Table and tried to bring back those knightly days, and 
to make his knights and gentlemen courteous and gentle. 
One day, at a ball, Edward picked up a lady's garter. 
Some one laughed rudely, but Edward turned to him and 
said, * Honi soit qui mal y pense,' which is French and 
means ' Evil be to him who evil thinks.' ' Soon,' he added, 
' you shall see this garter set so high that you will think 
it an honour to wear it.' And so when he founded a new 
order of knighthood he made it the Order of the Garter, 
and to this day great men are proud to wear it. It was 
founded on St. George's day and the ornament which the 
knights of the Garter wear is called the George. 




The King made the Black Prince a Knight of the Order of the Garter, 



CHAPTER XLVIl 

EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR— THE STORY OF THE 
SIEGE OF CALAIS 

Five days after the battle of Crecy, Edward began to 
besiege the town of Calais. He did not fight, for the 
fortifications were so strong that he knew it would be 
useless. He made his men build a ring of wooden houses 
round Calais, in which they could live until the people of 
the town were starved into giving in. 

When the Governor of Calais saw what Edward was 
doing, he gathered all the weak, poor, and old people, 
who were not able to fight, and sent them out of the 
town. He did this so that there would be fewer people 
to feed, and therefore the food they had in the town 
would last longer. 

King Edward was surprised to see all these people 
leave the town, and he asked them what it meant. ' We 
have no food nor money, and cannot fight,' they replied, 
* so the Governor has sent us away.' 

Then Edward, instead of making them return into the 
town, gave them a good dinner and some money, and 
allowed them to go safely through his ca^np, to the 
country beyond. 

For nearly a year Calais held out bravely Day after 
day the people hoped that the King of France would 
come with his army to help them. But day after day 



224 OUR ISLAND STORY 

passed and no one came. ' We have eaten everything, 
wrote the Governor to Philip, ' even the cats, and dogs, 
and horses, and there is nothing left for us but to die of 
hunger unless you come soon. You will get no more 
letters from me, but if you do not come, you will hear 
that the town is lost and all we who are in it also.' 

At last one morning, the watchman on the walls saw 
the gleam of spears, and heard the drums and trumpet- 
call of the French army. 

When the good news was told, the joy in Calais was 
great. Pale and thin from want of food, hardly able to 
walk or stand, the people yet crowded to the walls. Oh, 
what joy! At last they would be free I The king had 
not forgotten them. 

But the day passed. There was no movement in the 
French camp. No battle-cry was heard, no sounds of 
war. ' To-morrow,' said the men of Calais sadly, ' to- 
morrow the king will fight. To-morrow we will open our 
gates to our victorious army.' 

But the next day and the next passed by, while the 
King of England strengthened his camp, and the King of 
France talked of peace. 

Then one morning the sun shone upon the army of 
Philip of France, with its gay banners and glittering 
spears, as it turned and marched away, without having 
struck one blow for the town and its brave defenders. 

Calais was left to misery and tears. All hope was lost. 
* Our king has forsaken us,' said the people sadly. 

When the Governor saw that there was indeed no 
hope, he mounted upon the walls, waving a white flag. 
King Edward saw this signal and sent two of his knights 
to talk with the Governor. 

* Are you willing to give up the town ? ' they asked. 

' Yes,' replied the Governor, ' we have kept the town 



STORY OF THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 225 

well and truly for our king, but now we can hold out no 
longer. We have nothing more to eat, and we are all 
perishing of hunger. I will yield the town and castle, 
with all its riches and treasures, if King Edward will 
grant us our lives.' 

' Nay,' replied the knights, * our noble King will not 
accept these terms. You and your people have been too 
stubborn in resisting him, and have cost him too much. 
You must give yourselves up, freely and entirely. Whom 
he pleases he will set free, whom he pleases he will put to 
death.' 

* These terms are too hard,' replied the Governor, ' we 
have only done our duty, we have fought for our King 
and master, as you have for yours. We know the King 
of England is noble and generous. It cannot be that he 
will deal so hardly with us. Go back, I entreat you, and 
beg him to have pity.' 

So the two knights rode back and told King Edward 
what the Governor had said. 

But Edward was stern. * I will listen to no conditions,' 
he said. ' What ! am I to wait twelve months, and then 
have the saucy rascals make conditions ? No, let them 
yield themselves entirely into my hands.' 

But Edward's knights were so full of admiration for 
the noble men of Calais, and they begged their King so 
earnestly to be merciful, that at last he gave way. 

* My lords,' he said, ' I cannot hold out against you 
all. Go back to the Governor ; tell him to send to me six 
of the chief men of Calais. They must come dressed in 
their shirts, with bare heads and feet, with ropes round 
their necks, and with the keys of the castle and town in 
their hands. These six shall be mine to do with what I 
will. The rest shall go free.' 

One of the knights who had before spoken to the 

p 



226 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Governor, now returned and told him what the King had 
said. 

' I beg of you,' said the Governor, ' to wait until I have 
spoken to the townspeople. It is they who must give 
the answer.' 

' I will wait,' said the knight. 

The Governor left the walls, and going to the market- 
place told the bellman to ring the great bell. At the 
sound of it all the people of Calais, both men and women, 
hurried to the town hall. They were full of wonder and 
hope. They knew something great must have happened. 
' What is it ? ' they asked, ' what is it ? ' 

When the people were all gathered together the 
Governor stood up among them and spoke. He told 
them of all that he had said and done, and what a hard 
answer the King of England had returned. 

When he had finished speaking, the men groaned and 
the women wept. They were all worn with suffering and 
hunger. For weeks and weeks they had not had enough 
to eat, and they could no longer bear the pain of it. But 
where would six men be found brave enough to give their 
lives for the others ? Even the Governor who, all through 
the terrible year, had encouraged and cheered the people, 
now lost heart. Hiding his face in his hands he, too, 
burst into tears. 

For a few minutes there was dreadful silence, broken 
only by low sobs. Then a brave man called Eustace de 
St. Pierre stood up. He was one of the richest and most 
important men of the town. 

' Friends,' he said, * it would be a great wrong to allow 
so many people to die if in any way it could be prevented. 
I have such faith and trust in God that I pray He will 
not forget me if I die to save my fellow townsmen. I 
offer myself as the first of the six.' 



STORY OF THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 227 

When Eustace had finished speaking, the people 
crowded round him. They fell at his feet, they kissed 
his hands, they thanked and blessed him. Then, amidst 
the sobs and cries of the people, another and another man 
rose, till six of the richest merchants of Calais stood 
together, ready to die for their friends. 

With ropes round their necks, with bare feet and 
heads, and carrying the keys of the town in their hands, 
these six brave men walked through the streets, followed 
by the townspeople, who wept and sobbed and blessed 
them as they went. 

The Governor, who was hardly able to walk, rode be- 
fore them, mounted upon a poor, little thin pony. When 
they came to the gates of the town, he commanded them 
to be opened, and the gates, which for a whole year had 
opened neither to friend nor foe, now swung wide. The 
Governor passed out and, with bent heads, the six men 
followed, feeling that they were saying farewell for ever 
to their beloved town. Then the heavy gates were closed 
again behind them. 

The Governor led the way to the outer wall where the 
English knight still waited. There he stopped. 

' As Governor of Calais,' he said, ' I deliver up to you 
these six citizens. I swear to you that they are no mean 
men, but the richest and greatest of our town. I beg 
you, gentle sir, out of the goodness of your heart, to pray 
the King that he will not put them to death.' 

' I cannot answer for what the King will do,' replied 
the knight, * but this I swear to you, I will do all that is 
in my power to save them.' 

Then the barriers were opened, the six brave men 
passed out, and the Governor slowly and sadly returned 
to the town. 

The knight at once brought the six men of Calais to 



228 OUR ISLAND STORY 

the King's tent. There they fell upon their knees, pre- 
senting the keys of the city to him. ' We are yours to do 
with what you will,' they said, ' but, noble King, pity our 
misery and spare us.' 

The King looked at them darkly. He hated the 
people of Calais, not only because they had held out 
against him for so long, but because they often fought 
with his ships at sea and did them much damage. So, 
instead of listening to the prayers of the brave men, he 
ordered their heads to be cut off. 

All the lords and knights round him begged him to 
have mercy, but he would not hear. The knight who 
had brought the men from Calais, begged hardest. ' All 
the world will say that you have acted cruelly, if you put 
these men to deatli,' he said. ' They come of their own 
free will, and give themselves into your hands in order 
to save their fellows. Such a noble deed should be 
rewarded, not punished.' 

But the King only waved his hand, as if to say that 
he did not care what all the world said, and ordered the 
headsman to be sent for. 

Then Queen Philippa fell upon her knees beside him, 
weeping. ' Ah, my dear lord,' she said, ' I have never 
before asked a favour from you, but now I beg you, by 
the love you have to me, let these men go.' 

The King looked at her in silence, and tried to raise 
her from her knees, but still she knelt, and still she 
begged for the lives of these brave men. 

' Ah, lady,' said Edward at last, ' I would you were 
anywhere but here, for I can refuse you nothing. Take 
the men. They are yours. Do with them as you 
please.' 

Then there was rejoicing indeed. The Queen led the 
men away to her own rooms. She ordered clothes to be 



STORY OF THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 229 

given to them, and made a great feast for them. They 
had not had such a dinner for many months. When 
they were clothed and fed Queen Phihppa sent them 
away, each with a large sum of money. 
So ended the siege of Calais. 



CHAPTER XLVIII 

EDWARD III. OF WINDSOR— THE STORY OF THE 
BATTLE OF POITIERS 

Nine years passed and the quarrelling between France 
and England still went on, and in 1356 a.d. the English, 
under the Black Prince, gained another great victory 
over the French. Philip, the King of France, had died, 
and his son John now reigned. He came against the 
English with such a great army that the Black Prince, 
rather than fight, offered to set free all the prisoners he 
had made, to give up all the French towns which he had 
taken, and to promise not to fight against the French 
for seven years. 

But that did not satisfy King John. He demanded 
that the Prince and the whole English army should give 
themselves up as prisoners. 

The Black Prince refused even to think of such a 
thing. Then King John said that he would be satisfied 
if the Prince and one hundred of his best knights gave 
themselves up. Again the Black Prince refused, and he 
and his men prepared to fight, and to win or die. 

' My men,' said the Prince, ' we are only a very small 
body compared with the army of the French. But num- 
bers do not always bring victory. Therefore fight man- 
fully, and, if it please God and St. George, you shall see 
me this day act like a true English knight.' 



STORY OF THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 231 

The Prince posted his army very cleverly. Only 
narrow lanes led to the place he had chosen, behind the 
hedges of which his archers were hidden. As the French 
knights rode down the lanes, the English archers shot so 
fast and well that the knights knew not where to turn, 
and soon the lanes were filled with dead and dying men 
and horses. 

The English shouted * St. George,' the French *St. 
Denis,' and fiercely the battle raged. But, in spite of 
their bravery and their numbers, the French lost the day, 
and both King John and his son were taken prisoner. 

They were led before the Black Prince, who received 
them very kindly, and treated them as friends rather 
than as prisoners. When the evening came, and supper 
was served, the Prince made the French king and his 
son take the most honoured places at table, and, instead 
of sitting down to eat with them, he himself waited upon 
them. 

King John begged the Black Prince to sit down to 
supper with him, but he would not. ' It is honour 
enough for me,' he said, ' to serve so great a king and so 
brave a soldier.' 

After the battle of Poitiers, the Black Prince remained 
in France for some time, then he set out for England, 
taking King John with him. 

When King Edward heard that they were coming, 
he gave orders to the people of London to make the city 
bright and beautiful in honour of the King of France. 
So the houses were decked with flags and wreaths of 
flowers, and the people, dressed in their holiday clothes, 
marched through the streets in gay crowds, cheering the 
King of France and their own brave Prince. 

King John was mounted upon a beautiful white horse, 
and beside him rode the Black Prince on a little black 



232 OUR ISLAND STORY 

pony. It seemed as if the Prince wanted to do every- 
thing in his power to make King John forget that he was 
a prisoner. 

But, in spite of all the kindness shown to him by King 
Edward and the Black Prince, John found the months 
during which he was kept a prisoner and unable to go 
back to his own dear land long and weary. At last, after 
four years, Edward made peace with France for a time, 
and set King John free on condition that he paid a large 
sum of money. 

King John returned to his own land, but as he could 
not find enough money with which to pay Edward, he 
came back to prison, like an honourable man, and died 
in England. 

All these wars in France had cost a great deal of 
money. The English people were proud of their King 
and Prince, and glad that they should win so many 
battles, and make the name of England famous ; but the 
people had to pay for these wars. They had to pay tax 
after tax, and their poverty and misery grew greater year 
by year. 

It is true the King could no longer tax the people 
how and when he liked, for the power of Parliament 
grew stronger and stronger. It was only through Par- 
liament that the King could now get the money he 
required, and whenever they gave it to him they made 
him promise something in return. In this way, as the 
power of Parliament grew, the power of the King became 
less, and the country became really more free. But the 
poor, who were robbed of nearly all their money, found 
it difficult to understand this. So many men had been 
killed in the wars that there were too few to do all the 
work of the land. There were still slaves in England at 
this time, and when these slaves saw that there were not 



STORY OF THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 238 

enough people to do the work, they rebelled and refused 
to work without wages. Other people joined them, and 
so there was war between rich and poor. 

Besides poverty, a terrible sickness called the Black 
Death fell upon the land. Thousands upon thousands 
died until there were not enough people left in the land 
to sow and reap and plough. The fields lay barren, no 
corn was grown, and the people starved. These were 
very unhappy times for England. 

King Edward's wars still went on, and it became 
more and more difficult to find money for them and, 
instead of always winning battles, he now often lost 
them. 

To the sorrow of every one the brave Black Prince 
died. His health had been broken by the terrible hard- 
ships of his long wars in France. At last he became so 
ill that he could no longer sit upon his horse, nor lead 
his soldiers in battle, and he came home to England to 
die. He was buried with great pomp in Canterbury 
Cathedral. There his tomb is still to be seen, and over 
it there still hangs the black armour which he used to 
wear, and from which he took his name of the Black 
Prince. 

King Edward died shortly after his son, and his long 
reign, which had been so brilliant and glorious, ended in 
darkness and misery, for the people, instead of loving and 
admiring their King, had grown to hate him. 



CHAPTER XLIX 

RICHARD II. OF BORDEAUX— THE STORY OF 
WAT TYLER'S REBELLION 

When Edward iii. died in 1377 a.d., his grandson, 
Richard, the son of the Black Prince, became king. He 
was only a boy of eleven, but the people already loved 
him for the sake of his brave father, and there was great 
rejoicing when he was crowned. 

Like so many other boy kings, Richard was too young 
to reign, and the power was really in the hands of his 
uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The people 
hoped that with a new king happier times would come 
for them, but they were soon disappointed, and John 
of Gaunt was hated as Edward had been hated in his 
last years. 

The war with France still went on, although it be- 
came harder and harder to find money with which to 
pay the soldiers, and the people were taxed more and 
more heavily. 

A new tax, called the poll-tax, had been first paid in the 
reign of Edward iii. Poll means head, and it really was 
a tax upon the head of every one in the kingdom over the 
age of fourteen. Rich people had to pay more than poor 
people, still it was the poor who felt the burden most. 

This tax was now made three times as heavy 
as it had been, and the poor were driven almost to 



STORY OF WAT TYLER'S REBELLION 235 

despair. Rough, rude men were sent all over the 
country to gather the money. These men insulted 
and ill-treated the people, and at last one of them be- 
haved so brutally to the daughter of a man called Wat, 
that Wat struck him on the head with his hammer and 
killed him. 

This man Wat or Walter was a tiler of houses, and 
from that he was called ' Wat the Tiler ' or Tyler. In 
those days people very often took their names from the 
work they did. 

As soon as it became known that Wat Tyler had 
killed a tax-collector, the people of the town flocked 
round him. They had been ready to rise in rebellion 
before, and now this action of AYat decided them. 
They armed themselves with any kind of weapon upon 
which they could lay hands — sticks, rusty swords, old 
bows and featherless arrows — and began to march to 
London. Everywhere, as they passed along through 
towns and villages, others joined them, and men, leaving 
their carts and ploughs in the fields, forsook their wives 
and children till, when they reached London, they were 
a great army of 100,000 men. 

The chief leaders of this army were Wat Tyler, Jack 
Straw, and a priest called John Ball. 

This priest had done a great deal towards stirring up 
the people against their masters. He had already been 
put into prison three times for preaching that all men 
should be equal, and that it was wicked for one man to 
have more money than another. 

' When Adam delved and Eve span. 
Who was then the gentleman ? ' 

he asked. 

Many of those who had joined Wat Tyler hardly 



236 OUR ISLAND STORY 

knew what they wanted. They knew only that they were 
miserable and poor, and they hoped that if they saw the 
King he would do something to make them happy. They 
blamed John of Gaunt for the misery they suffered, and 
on the road to London they stopped all whom they met, 
and made them swear to be true to Richard ii., and 
never to accept any one of the name of John as king. 

When they came near London they camped upon 
Blackheath, and sent messengers to the King begging to 
be allowed to speak with him. 

'You need not fear,' they said, 'we will do you no 
harm. We have always respected you, and will respect 
you as our King. But we have many things to say to 
you which you ought to hear.' 

'Tell them,' said King Richard, 'that to-morrow I 
will meet their leaders by the river.' This answer gave 
the peasants great joy, and they camped for the night as 
best they could. They had no tents nor covering of any 
kind, and many of them had no supper, for they had 
eaten any food which they had brought with them, and 
had no money to buy more. 

The next day the young King rowed down the river 
to talk to the people as he had promised. But when he 
saw what a great crowd there was he would not land. He 
sat in his boat and tried to talk to the leaders as they 
stood upon the bank. But they were angry because he 
would not land, and made such a noise that it was 
impossible to hear anything. 

' Tell me what you want,' shouted the King ; ' I have 
come to hear what you have to say.' 

'You must land first. Then we will tell you what 
we want,' yelled the crowd in return. 

But Richard was afraid to land, and indeed the barons 
and lords would not allow him to do so. So after rowing 



STORY OF WAT TYLER'S REBELLION 237 

up and down the river for some time, trying in vain to 
make himself heard by the howling, yelling crowd on the 
bank, he returned to the Tower, where he was living. 

When the people saw the King row away they were 
madly angry. They had been quiet and orderly. They 
were so no longer. *Let us march to London,' they 
said, 'and take it.' 

The Mayor of London shut the city gates, but the 
poor people within opened them to their friends, and the 
yelling crowd poured into the city. 

They broke into all the shops where food was sold, 
eating and drinking as much as they wanted. They 
burned and wrecked John of Gaunt's house called the 
Savoy, which was the most beautiful palace in London. 
Other houses and some churches were destroyed, and 
many people were killed. The prisons were broken open, 
and all the prisoners set free. Yet the rioters did not 
steal. They burned and threw into the river the beauti- 
ful furniture and jewels belonging to John of Gaunt, 
because they hated him and blamed him for their misery, 
but they would not allow anything to be taken away. 
One man who was seen to steal a piece of silver was 
thrown into the flames, and burned alive as a punish- 
ment by his companions. 'We are not thieves and 
robbers,' they said. ' We are fighting only for truth and 
justice.' 

As the day went on, the noise grew greater and 
greater, and when night came the rioters collected in the 
square in front of the Tower. There they made a terrible 
noise, swearing that, if the King did not come out to 
them, they would burn the Tower. 

The King and his friends held a council together, 
and Richard decided that next day he would again try 
to speak with the people. He sent a message to them 



238 OUR ISLAND STORY 

telling them to go to an open space called Mile End, and 
that there he would come to speak with them in the 
morning. 

A great many of the people, when they heard this, 
marched to Mile End, but others refused to go away 
from the Tower. Next morning, as soon as the gates 
were opened for the King to pass out, these rioters rushed 
in. They killed many of the people in the Tower, and 
nearly frightened the King's mother, the Princess of 
Wales, to death. 

Meanwhile, Richard rode to Mile End, and found a 
great company of the people awaiting him there. As 
soon as he was near enough he spoke to them kindly. 

' My good people,' he said, ' I am your King. What 
is it you want ? And what do you wish to say to me ? ' 

* We want you to make us free for ever, both our- 
selves and our children. We will not be slaves any 
longer,' they replied. 

' You have your wish,' answered Richard. ' Now go 
home quietly. Leave behind you one or two men from 
each village. To them I will give letters signed and 
sealed with my seal, promising what you ask.' 

Then the people, who really did not know quite what 
they wanted, set up a great shout for the King, and went 
back to their homes. 

Richard gave orders to about thirty secretaries, who 
wrote the letters as fast as they could. They sat up all 
night to write. These letters promised freedom to all 
the slaves and, as soon as they were written, they were 
signed and sealed with the King's seal, and given to the 
men who waited for them. 

But Wat Tyler had not been with the rioters at Mile 
End, and he would not agree to go home. He wanted 
the King to promise much more than that there should no 



STORY OF WAT TYLER'S REBELLION 239 

longer be slaves in England. Next day, while he and his 
followers were gathered at a place called Smithfield, the 
King came riding by, attended only by a few friends and 
soldiers. 

' Here is the King,' said Wat, ' I will go to speak to 
him. You must not move until I give you a signal.' He 
waved his hand and added, ' When you see me make this 
sign, run forward and kill every man of them, except the 
King. Do not kill him, for he is young, and we can make 
him do what we like.' 

Then he set spurs to his horse, and galloped towards 
Richard, who was waiting to see what the rebels meant 
to do. 

' King,' said Wat, ' do you see all those men 
there ? ' 

* Yes,' replied the King, * I do. Why do you ask ? ' 

' Because they are all under my orders,' said Wat, ' and 
have sworn to do whatever I command them.' 

* I have no objection to that,' replied the King, and 
he went on to speak quietly and peaceably to Wat Tyler, 
but Wat was too angry to listen. Finding that he could 
not quarrel with the King, he began to do so with one of 
the gentlemen beside him. 

Hot words passed between them, till Richard growing 
angry turned to the Mayor of London, who was also 
there, and told him to seize Wat Tyler. 

* Truly,' said the Mayor, ' it ill becomes such a rascal 
to use such words in the presence of the King. I will 
pay him for it,' and raising his sword he struck Wat 
Tyler a blow on the head. Wat fell to the ground, the 
King's friends closed round him, and a minute later he 
was dead. 

When Wat Tyler's men saw him fall, they called out, 
' They have killed our captain. Let us slay them all,' 



240 OUR ISLAND STORY 

and they ran towards the King with their bows bent ready- 
to shoot. 

Then Richard did a brave thing. Forbidding any of 
his men to follow him, he rode alone toward the rioters. 
'Friends,' he said, 'what are you doing? I am your 
King. Follow me. I myself shall be your leader.' 

At these words many of the rioters were ashamed. 
Some of them at once slipped quietly away, and Richard, 
putting himself at the head of the others, led them out 
into the country. 

Meanwhile some of Richard's company had fled back 
into London, crying, ' They are killing the King, they 
are killing the King.' 

When the people heard that, many of the King's 
soldiers came running together, and an army marched 
out to the fields to meet Richard and the rebels. 

As soon as he saw them, the king left the rebels and 
put himself at the head of his own soldiers. Several of 
the nobles then wished to attack the rebels, but Richard 
forbade them to do so. But he ordered all the letters 
promising freedom, which the rioters had among them, 
to be given up at once on pain of instant death. 

As soon as the King received the letters, he tore them 
up in sight of the rebels. These poor people now saw all 
their hopes of freedom gone. Their leader, too, was 
dead, so not waiting for more they broke and fled they 
hardly knew where. Many of them returned to their 
homes, but John Ball and Jack Straw were cruelly be- 
trayed by the very men they had tried to help and free. 
They were beheaded by Richard's orders, along with 
many of their followers. 

The King did not keep any of his promises to the 
people. ' Slaves you are, and slaves you shall remain,' he 
said savagely, when the danger to himself was over. It 



STORY OF WAT TYLER'S REBELLION 241 

seemed as if the rising had been in vain. But that was 
not so. Many masters freed their slaves, and although 
years passed before all were free, Wat Tyler's rebellion 
was the beginning of freedom for the lower classes in 
England. Up to this time many of the labourers and 
workers who were free men had been treated almost as 
badly as slaves, but now their condition became better. 



CHAPTER L 

HOW KING RICHARD II. LOST HIS THRONE 

Richard was only a boy of fifteen when he faced the 
rioters at Smithfield so bravely, and afterward broke his 
promises so basely. It would have been better for Eng- 
land if he had always been brave as he was the day he 
faced the rioters, and never base as he was afterward. 

It was not until Richard was twenty-one that he really 
ruled. Until then his uncles ruled for him. 

* How old do you think I am, uncle ? ' he said sud- 
denly to one of them at a feast. 

'Your highness is in his twenty-second year,' re- 
plied he. 

' Then I am surely old enough to rule. I thank you for 
your past help, uncle. I require it no longer.' And before 
his uncle could recover from his surprise, Richard had asked 
for the great seal and keys of office, and had proclaimed to 
the people that in the future he himself should rule. And 
for a time Richard ruled well. He made peace with 
France, and the taxes on the poor were made lighter. But 
this w^as not for long. It was soon seen that he intended 
to do exactly as he liked, and would take advice from no 
one. He banished and outlawed those who tried to keep 
him in check. As he was always in need of money, he 
seized the lands and money of these banished people, and 
did many other wicked and dishonest things. At last 



HOW RICHARD II. LOST HIS THRONE 243 

the King, who had been placed upon the throne amid so 
much rejoicing, came to be hated and despised. 

One of the people whom Richard had banished was 
his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, the son of his uncle, 
John of Gaunt. Soon after Henry had been banished 
John of Gaunt died, and Richard, in spite of having 
promised not to do so, seized his land and money. 

When Henry heard of this he came back to England 
to take possession of his own inheritance, he said, but 
really to try to win the crown of England. The people 
had always loved Henry, and had been very sorry when 
he was banished, and now they welcomed him back with 
joy, hoping that he would free them from their hated 
King. Henry came with only fifteen knights, but as 
soon as he landed, many people flocked to him. 

Richard, at this time, was in Ireland, trying to put 
down a rebellion there. As soon as he heard that Henry 
was in England he hurried home. But he was too late. 
Henry was already master of the country. 

Richard brought a large army with him from Ireland, 
but many of the soldiers deserted almost as soon as they 
landed and joined the standard of Henry. 

At last, forsaken by all, in utter despair, without food 
or clothes, or even a bed upon which to sleep, Richard 
was forced to submit to his cousin. 

They met at the castle of Flint in Wales. Henry 
knelt to Richard as to his king and kissed his hand. 

' Fair cousin of Lancaster,' said Richard, looking down 
upon him, ' you are right welcome.' 

' My lord,' replied Henry, ' I am come somewhat 
before my time. ' By which he meant that he had a right 
to the throne after the death of Richard, but that he had 
not waited until then. ' But,' he went on, ' I will tell 
you the reason. Your people complain that you have 



244 OUR ISLAND STORY 

ruled them badly these twenty years. Please God, I 
will now help you to rule them better.' And the poor, 
broken, spiritless king replied, ' Fair cousin, if it pleaseth 
you, it pleaseth me right well.' 

But when Richard was left alone he burst out in 
furious rage, * Would to Heaven that I had killed when 
I might this false cousin, this Henry of Bolingbroke.' 

Amid the curses of his people, forsaken even by his 
favourite dog which left him for Henry, Richard ii. was 
led a prisoner to the Tower of London. There he 
solemnly gave up his right to the crown, and Henry of 
Bolingbroke was made king, 1399 a.d. 

Richard was afterwards sent to Pontefract Castle in 
Yorkshire, where, it is believed, he was cruelly murdered. 



I 



CHAPTER LI 

HENRY IV. OF BOLINGBROKE— THE STORY OF THE 
BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY 

Henry iv. knew quite well that he was not the real heir 
to the throne, although he tried to make people believe 
that he was. The real heir was Edmund Mortimer, Earl 
of March. 

Richard ii. was the son of Edward the Black Prince, 
who was the eldest son of Edward iii. Edmund Mor- 
timer was descended from Lionel of Clarence, who was 
the third son of Edward iii. Henry Bolingbroke was 
descended from John of Gaunt, who was the fourth son 
of Edward iii. So, of course, Edmund Mortimer had a 
better right to the throne than Henry Bolingbroke had. 
But Edmund Mortimer was only a little boy, and, like 
so many other little princes, he was passed over and 
forgotten. The people chose rather to have a strong 
man who could really rule, than a little boy who could 
rule only in name. But Henry was afraid of Edmund, 
and kept him a prisoner in Windsor Castle, although he 
was not otherwise unkind to him. 

Henry had seized the throne in an unlawful manner, 
and he found that it was no easy matter to keep it. No 
sooner was he crowned than plots thickened around him, 
and people who had hated Richard were now sorry that 
they had put Henry on the throne. 



246 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The Welsh, who had been conquered by Edward i., 
had never been content to live under the rule of English 
kings, and Owen Glendower, a Welsh nobleman, now 
rebelled against Henry. He called himself the Prince of 
Wales, claiming to be descended from Llewellyn, that 
Welsh prince whom Edward i. had defeated and killed. 

Nearly all Wales joined Owen Glendower, and 
although Henry went against them with a large army, 
he was not able to subdue them. The Welsh took 
several of Henry's nobles prisoner, among them Sir 
Edmund Mortimer. This Sir Edmund was an uncle of 
the young Earl of March, whom Henry kept in prison at 
Windsor. Henry was quite pleased that Sir Edmund 
should be a captive, because he was afraid that he might 
at some time try to put his nephew on the throne. 

The Scotch had meanwhile also been fighting with 
the English, and had been defeated by the Earl of 
Northumberland and his young son, who was called 
Harry Hotspur. He was called Hotspur because he was 
so quick and brave in battle. 

Harry Hotspur and his father had taken the Scotch 
leader, Douglas, prisoner. They expected to get a large 
ransom from the Scotch for him. But Henry said the 
Douglas must be given up to him. This made the 
Percies, as Harry Hotspur and liis father were called, 
very angry. They thought that, as they had taken the 
Douglas prisoner, they liad a right to the money which 
would be paid for his release. 

The Percies then asked Henry to send money to 
Owen Glendower to ransom Edmund Mortimer, for 
Edmund was Harry Hotspur's dear friend. But Henry 
refused. He did not wish Edmund to be free, because 
he was afraid of him. This refusal made the Percies still 
more angry. 



THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY 247 

The Percies had helped to put Henry on the throne, 
but now they became so angry with him that they were 
sorry that they had done so, and they turned against him. 

Instead of giving up the Douglas to Henry, the 
Percies set him free, on condition that he should help 
them to fight against the King. They made friends with 
Owen Glendower, who set Edmund Mortimer free, and 
persuaded him also to join them against Henry. 

When the King heard of this great rebellion, he 
marched with a large army to Shrewsbury, and there he 
defeated the Percies before Owen Glendower could come 
with his soldiers to their help. 

King Henry had been told that some of tlie rebel 
nobles had sworn to kill him, so he went into battle in 
plain armour, while four or five knights went dressed like 
the King. These knights were all killed, Douglas himself 
killing three of them. ' I marvel to see so many kings 
rise thus one after the other,' he said. ' I have this day 
slain three.' 

But the real king was not among them, although he 
was in the battle fighting bravely. 

The Prince of Wales, or Prince Hal, as he was often 
called, was only a boy, but he did great deeds at this 
battle, and even when he had been badly wounded, he 
would not leave the field until victory for his father was 
sure. 

Harry Hotspur was killed, the Douglas taken 
prisoner, and so with this one battle the rebellion was 
almost at an end. 

Henry next marched against Owen Glendower, but 
still he could not subdue him. Owen fought against 
Henry all his life, and at last died among the lonely 
mountains of Wales, still free and still unconquered. 

Henry iv. had a very unquiet reign ; he was in con- 



248 OUR ISLAND STORY 

stant fear of rebellion in England, and besides the Welsh, 
the Scotch and the French were always fighting with him. 
But a great misfortune fell upon the Scotch king, which 
forced him to make peace with Henry. 

The Scotch and the French had always been good 
friends, and now King Robert iii. sent his little son, 
James, to France to learn French. But while on his way 
there his ship was captured by the English, and Prince 
James, who was only nine years old, was taken a prisoner 
to London. 

Henry was very glad to have Prince James in his 
power, for the Scotch were now afraid to fight against 
him in case he should do some harm to their little Prince. 

' If the Scotch had been kind,' said Henry, * they 
would have sent their Prince to me. I could teach him 
the French language as well as any Frenchman. ' 

When the King of Scotland heard that his son had 
fallen into the hands of his enemy, he was so sad and 
afraid that he died of a broken heart. 

The King's brother, the Duke of Albany, wanted to 
rule Scotland himself, so he was pleased that James was 
a prisoner, and did not try to make Henry set him free. 

Although King Henry kept Prince James in prison, 
he allowed him to have books and teachers, who taught 
him many things which were afterwards useful to him, 
and helped him to become a good king. He also wrote 
some very beautiful poetry while he was in prison, so 
those years were not altogether lost. 



CHAPTER LIT 

HENRY IV. OF BOLINGBROKE— THE STORY OF HOW 
PRINCE HAL WAS SENT TO PRISON 

Prince Hal was clever and brave, but he was so wild 
and fond of fun that he was called * Madcap Hal.' He 
spent a great deal of time with gay companions and often 
got into mischief. 

One day a servant of Prince Hal, having done some- 
thing wicked, was taken before the Lord Chief-Justice 
Gascoigne to be tried and punished. When Prince Hal 
heard about it he was very angry, and went at once to the 
court-house. He strode up to where his servant was 
standing, and turning to the officer beside him, * Take off 
these fetters,' he said. ' Let my man go free. How dare 
you arrest my servant ? ' 

' My lord Prince,' said Judge Gascoigne calmly, * your 
servant has broken the law, and must be punished by the 
law. If you wish to save him, you must go to the King, 
your father, and beg mercy from him. He can grant it 
if he thinks fit. Now, I pray you leave the court, and 
allow me to deal as I think just with the prisoner.' 

Prince Hal was very angry at being spoken to like 
this. He was so angry that he hardly knew what he was 
doing, and, springing forward, he struck the judge in the 
face. 

The people in the court were dumb with astonish- 
ment and fear. What would happen next no one knew. 



250 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The Prince was in such a passion that they were afraid he 
might kill the judge. 

But Judge Gascoigne sat quite still and unmoved. 
* Sir,' he said sternly to the Prince, ' remember that I am 
here in phice of the King, your lord and father. In his 
name I charge you to give up your sword. For your 
contempt and disobedience I send you to prison. There 
you shall remain until the will of the King, your father, 
shall be known.' 

At these calm, grave words, the Prince was ashamed. 
All his anger vanished and, taking off his sword, he 
bowed humbly to the judge, and went quietly to prison. 

As soon as the Prince had gone, some of his servants 
ran to tell the King what had happened. They expected 
him to be very angry with the judge. But, after hearing 
the story, the King sat silent for a few minutes. Then he 
said, ' I thank God that He has given me a judge who 
does not fear to do justice, and a son who can obey the 
law.' 

Towards the end of his troubled reign, Henry iv. was 
often ill, and although very unwilling to do so,, he was 
obliged to allow Prince Hal to help in ruling the king- 
dom. Once, while the King was ill. Prince Hal came 
into his room, and finding him lying very still and quiet, 
thought that he was dead. The crown was beside the 
King's bed and the Prince lifted it, put it on his own head, 
and went away. 

But the King was not dead, and when he awoke and 
found that the crown was gone, he was greatly alarmed. 
He called to his nobles, who were in a room near, ' Why 
have you left me alone ? Some one has stolen the crown.' 

The nobles came running to the King. ' The Prince 
was with you, my lord, while you slept,' they said ; ' he 
must have taken the crown.' 




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HOW PRINCE HAL WAS SENT TO PRISON 251 

' The Prince took it ? ' said the King. ' Go, bring him 
here.' 

When he was told that the King was not dead, Prince 
Hal returned at once. With tears in his eyes he knelt 
beside his father's bed. ' I never thought to hear you 
speak again,' he said. 

And the King replied sadly : — 

' Thy wish was father, Henr}', to that thought : 
I stay too long by thee, I weary thee ; 
Dost thou so hunger for my empty chair. 
That thou wilt needs invest thee with mine honours 
Before thy hour is ripe ? O foolish youth ! 
Thou seek'st the greatness that will overwhelm thee.' 

' Oh, pardon me, my liege,' said Prince Hal, weeping ; 
and the King pardoned and blessed him before he died. 

* How I came by the crown, O God, forgive, 
And grant it may with thee in true peace live.* 



CHAPTER LIII 

HENRY V. OF MONMOUTH— THE STORY OF THE 
BATTLE OF AGINCOURT 

When Prince Hal came to the throne in 1413 a.d., 
he gave up all his wild ways and tried to rule as a 
wise king should. Judge Gascoigne was much afraid 
that he would suffer now for having sent the Prince to 
prison. But Henry had a noble mind. He knew that 
the judge had only done what was right. So after he 
became king, Henry treated Judge Gascoigne as a friend, 
and when he gave up his judgeship it was because he was 
a very old man. * Still be my judge,' he said, 'and if I 
should ever have a son who does wrong, I hope you will 
punish him as you did me.' 

' Therefore still bear the balance and the sword : 
And I do wish your honours may increase, 
Till you do live to see a son of mine 
Offend you, and obey you, as I did. 
So shall I live to speak my father's words — 
" Happy am I, that have a man so bold. 
That dares do justice on my proper son ; 
And not less happy, having such a son, 
That would deliver up his greatness so 
Into the hands of justice.'" 

Henry came peacefully to the throne, but he had no 
better right to it than his father had. There were many 
people who could not forget that, and it was not long 



THE BATTLE OF AGINCOURT 253 

before plots were formed. But Henry put down these 
plots, and then he thought of fighting with France. 

You remember how Edward iii. had claimed to be 
King of France as well as King of England, and how 
he did indeed conquer a great part of France. But 
at the end of his reign, and during the reigns of 
Richard ii. and Henry iv., all that he had conquered 
had again been lost. Of the many French lands which 
had at one time belonged to England, only the town of 
Calais remained. 

Henry v. made up his mind to try to win back these 
lands. He thought that if the plots against him became 
too strong, and he were driven from the throne of 
England, he could then still be King of France. 

The eldest son of the King of France was called the 
Dauphin, just as the eldest son of the King of England 
is always called the Prince of Wales. 

At this time the King of France was mad, so the 
Dauphin ruled. When he heard that Henry v. was 
coming to fight against him he sent him a present of 
some tennis balls. 

* Tell the English king,' he said to his messenger, 
*that he is too young and foolish to claim dukedoms 
here. It will be better for him to amuse himself at 
home with these balls.' 

Henry laughed when he received the present, and 
sent back this message : — 

' And tell the pleasant prince, this mock of his 
Hath turned his balls to gun stones.' 

Henry gathered his army and, landing in France, 
laid siege to the town of Harfleur. The town held 
out bravely for a long time, and, when at last it fell, the 
English army was so worn out, so many of them had been 



254 OUR ISLAND STORY 

killed and wounded, that they were not strong enough to 
fight any more. Yet Henry did not want to return to 
England having only taken one French town. He 
resolved to march from Harfleur to Calais, and sail 
home from there. He would show the French that the 
English were not afraid of them. 

So the army left Harfleur and, day after day, ragged, 
hungry, and worn, they marched along the weary way 
towards Calais. Day after day passed, but no French 
soldiers ever came in sight, till one evening, when they 
had gone about half the long journey, the enemy 
appeared. Even then, weary and worn though the 
English were, the French did not think themselves 
strong enough to attack, and fell back before them. 
But about forty miles from Calais Henry found the 
French army right across his path. If Calais was to 
be reached, the French must be beaten. And Calais 
had to be reached, as it was the only way home, and 
Henry's men were utterly weary and almost starving. 

On the morning of the battle, Henry rode along the 
lines, cheering his poor tired soldiers. He had a gold 
crown upon his helmet, and the coat which he wore 
over his armour was embroidered with the leopards of 
England and the lilies of France, for already he called 
himself King of France and England. 

As Henry rode along he heard one of his nobles say, 
* I would that some of the thousands of warriors, who lie 
idle this day in England, were here to aid us.' 

* Nay,' replied the King, ' I would not have one man 
more. If we win, the greater is the glory God gives to 
us. If we die, the less is the loss to England.' 

When Henry had ridden all along the lines, he got off 
his horse and took his place among his soldiers, with the 
royal standard waving over him. 



THE BATTLE OF AGINCOURT 255 

The fight began, and a terrible fight it was. It 
seemed as if it were the story of Crecy and Poitiers 
over again. The French had an army ten times greater 
than that of the English ; many of the English, too, were 
sick and ill, weary, ragged and half fed, and yet they 
won the battle. 

When it was over, Henry, riding across the field, 
met one of the French heralds. ' To whom does the 
victory belong ? ' he asked. 

' To you, sire,' replied the man. 

* Nay,' said the King, ' but to God. We English made 
not this great slaughter. What fortress is that ? ' he 
added, 'for it is fitting that the battle should have 
a name.' 

' That is the castle of Agincourt, sire,' replied the 
herald. 

* Then Agincourt shall this battle be called,' said 
Henry. And by that name we know it. 

This was one of the greatest battles ever fought 
between the French and English but, although the 
English won, the army was too worn out to do more, 
and so they went home to England. 

But Henry soon gathered another army, and returned 
to France. There was more fighting till at last, five 
years later, peace was made, and Henry married Catherine, 
the daughter of the French king. 

It was arranged that King Charles who, you remember, 
was mad, should keep the title of king while he lived, 
but that Henry should rule, and that when Charles died, 
Henry should be King of France. 

But about two years after this, Henry himself died. 
He was only thirty-four and had reigned but ten years. 
He was a wise king and ruled well, yet his great battles 
are what we hear most of in his reign, and they brought 



256 OUR ISLAND STORY 

suffering and sorrow to many of his people. Still his 
people loved him, and their grief at his death was great. 

' Henry the fifth, too famous to live long. 
England ne'er lost a king of so much worthy 
England ne'er had a king until his time. 
Virtue he had deserving to command : 
His brandished sword did blind men with his beams : 
His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings : 
His sparkling eyes replete with wrathful fire 
More dazzled and drove back his enemies^ 
Than mid-day sun fierce bent against their faces. 
What should I say ? his deeds exceed all speech : 
He ne'er lift up his hand but conquered,' 



CHAPTER LTV 

HENRY VI. OF WINDSOR— THE STORY OF THE MAID 
OF ORLEANS 

When Henry v. died in 1422 a.d., his son, who was 
also called Henry, was only a tiny baby nine months 
old. Yet the people had loved Henry v. so much that 
they chose that this tiny baby should be called their King. 
Of course a baby nine months old, who could not even 
speak, could not rule, so his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, 
ruled instead. Queen Catherine, the baby's mother, 
married a Welsh gentleman called Owen Tudor, and took 
no part in ruling the kingdom. 

For a little time things seemed to go well, but soon 
troubles began. Charles, the mad King of France, died 
about two months after the death of Henry v., and the 
baby Henry vi. was proclaimed King of France in his 
place. ' May God grant long life to Henry, by the grace 
of God, King of France and England,' cried the heralds. 
But the Dauphin, Charles, felt that he was the rightful 
heir, and he, too, called himself King of France. 

The baby king of course did not know anything about 
what was happening, but his uncle John, Duke of Bedford, 
who ruled France for him, was very angry with the 
Dauphin and began to fight with him. 

The English were so strong that at first they defeated 
the French armies, and the Dauphin was in despair. 

R 



258 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The Scotch had been helping the French. To stop 
them doing so, the English said that they would set their 
King free if they would promise not to help the French 
any more. You remember that King James, when he 
was a little boy, had been taken prisoner by Henry iv., 
and he had now been in prison for nineteen years. 

While in prison James had seen a beautiful lady, from 
his window, as she walked in the garden of the palace. 
He loved her, although he had never spoken to her, nor 
heard her speak. James was a poet as well as a king, 
and he wrote some beautiful poetry about her. 

'And therewith cast I down my 03^68 again, 
Where as I walking saw beneath the tower, 
Full secretly, new coming her to play, 
The fairest and the freshest young flower 
That ever I saw^ methought, before that hour. 
For which sudden surprise, anon did start 
The blood of all my body to my heart. 

' And when she walkM had a little time 
Under the sweet green branches bent, 
Her fair, fresh face as white as any snow, 
She turned has, and forth her way she went. 
But then began my sickness and torment, 
To see her go and follow not I might, 
Methought the day was turned into night. 

' Bewailing in my chamber thus alone, 
Despairing of all joy and remedy, 
Oft weary of my thoughts and woe begone, 
Unto the window would I walk in haste. 
To see the world and the folk who went forbye. 
As for the time, though I of mirthe's food 
Might have no more, to look it did me good.' 

As soon as James was free, he married this beautiful 
lady and went back to Scotland with her. But before he 
went the English made him pay a large sum of money in 



STORY OF THE MAID OF ORLEANS 259 

return for all that had been spent on him while he was in 
prison. He also promised not to help the French in their 
battles with the English. 

So this is why the Scotch could no longer fight for 
the French. But other help came to them. They found 
a great leader who brought them victory. This great 
leader was a woman. 

In a peaceful little village, far away from the sounds 
of war, lived a peasant girl called Jeanne d'Arc or as we 
call her in English, Joan of Arc. She had never been to 
school. She could neither read nor write. Ever since she 
had been quite a little girl she had had to work hard all 
day long in the fields and in the house. But although 
she was ignorant, Joan was gentle and good, and her 
heart was full of love for her country. 

From time to time stories of battle and loss and 
death, were brought to the little village by sick and 
wounded soldiers from the battle-fields. As Joan 
listened to these stories, tears filled her eyes, and a great 
longing grew in her heart to do something for her dear 
country. 

She spent long days alone in the fields taking care of 
her master's sheep. While she watched the sheep, she 
kept thinking and longing. * What can I do ? ' she said to 
herself. ' I am only a poor, ignorant girl ; what can I do 
for my country ? ' 

At last it seemed to her as if the empty air around 
her was full of voices, which answered her question. It 
seemed to her that saints and angels came to her and 
whispered that she was chosen to free France. 

' Put on the courage and the armour of a man,' said 
the voices, ' and lead the armies to victory.' 

When Joan told people that God had chosen her as 
captain, they thought at first that she was mad. But she 



260 OUR ISLAND STORY 

was so earnest and so sure that at last they took her to 
the Dauphin. 

Dressed like a man in shining white armour, riding 
upon a beautiful white horse, and carrying a white banner 
sewed with the gold lilies of France, she looked so beauti- 
ful and so good that the Dauphin and the soldiers could 
not but believe in her. 

So this peasant girl, who knew nothing of war, who had 
never before worn armour, nor carried a sword, nor ridden 
upon a horse, took command of the army. The rough 
soldiers honoured, obeyed and almost worshipped her. 
New hope sprang up in their hearts, new strength to fight. 

So full of courage were they now, that in less than a 
week fortune changed, the English began to lose and the 
French to win. Joan's first fighting was at Orleans, which 
had been besieged by the English for some months. Joan 
beat the English and drove them away, and because of 
that she was afterwards often called the Maid of Orleans. 
Battle after battle was fought, town after town was 
taken from the English, until about two months from the 
time Joan began to fight, the French were so completely 
victorious that the Dauphin was crowned at Rheims. 

It was a very splendid sight. The church was crowded 
with knights and nobles and rejoicing people, but no one 
rejoiced more than the Maid of Orleans. Dressed still 
in her beautiful white armour, holding her white banner 
in her hand, she stood beside the Dauphin as the crown 
was placed upon his head and he was proclaimed King 
of France instead of the little English King Henry vi. 

Then when all was over Joan begged to be allowed to 
go home again to tend sheep once more and to be with 
her brothers and her sisters. 'They would be so glad 
to see me,' she said, * my work here is done.' 

But the King would not let her go. The English still 



STORY OF THE MAID OF ORLEANS 261 

remained in the country and fighting still went on. So 
Joan, as she was not allowed to go home, went on 
fighting too. But one sad day, during a battle, she was 
wounded and taken prisoner by the English. 

The English were very glad of this, because they 
thought that she was a witch. In those days people still 
believed in witches and were very much afraid of them. 
The English thought that no one who was not a witch 
could have done the wonderful things Joan had done. 
After being kept in prison for nearly a year, Joan, young, 
beautiful, and good though she was, was burned as a witch 
because she had freed her country. The English did not 
do this wicked deed but, what was almost as bad, they 
allowed their friends, the Burgundians, who were French, 
but who had been fighting on the English side, to do it. 

After this the English proclaimed Henry vi. King of 
France at Paris. But it was only an empty show, for he 
was not really King of France. Fighting still went on, 
but the English lost more and more till at last they had 
lost all the lands they had ever held in France. In 1451 
A.D., only the town of Calais remained to them, and the 
Hundred Years' War, begun by Edward in. in 1340 a.d., 
came to an end. 

While these things were happening in France, the 
baby King of England was growing up to be a man. And 
a very weak man he grew up to be. He was pulled this 
way and that among his many advisers who ruled the 
country and quarrelled among themselves. 

The lords made the King marry a French lady called 
Margaret of Anjou. She was very strong-willed and it 
was really she, more than King Henry, who ruled. 

The country was in a very unhappy state. The long 
wars with France had cost a great deal of money and a 
great many lives. The people were heavily taxed in 



262 OUR ISLAND STORY 

order to pay for the wars. The men who were taken 
away for soldiers very often never came home again. 
There were not enough people in the country to do the 
work, and famine, disease, and all kinds of misery followed. 

At last the people rebelled, just as they had rebelled 
in the time of Richard ii. under Wat Tyler. This time 
their leader was called Jack Cade. 

It all happened very much as before. The rebels 
marched to London and camped upon Blackheath. A 
battle was fought in which the King's men were defeated. 
Then Jack Cade and his followers were promised what 
they asked. Many of them afterwards went home quietly, 
but Jack Cade himself was killed. 

This rising lasted only a few weeks, but another 
struggle which lasted thirty years soon began. This 
struggle was called the Wars of the Roses. 



CHAPTER LV 

HENRY VI. OF WINDSOR— THE RED ROSE AND 
THE WHITE 

You remember that Henry iv., who took the crown from 
Richard ii., was descended from John of Gaunt, Duke of 
Lancaster, the fourth son of Edward iii. But there was 
some one who had a better right to the throne. That was 
Edmund Mortimer, who was descended from the third 
son of Edward iii. Now in the time of Henry vi. there 
was still living a descendant of Edmund Mortimer. He 
was called Richard, Duke of York. 

The Wars of the Roses began because Richard claimed 
to be the rightful heir to the throne. At first Richard 
said he only wanted to be made protector of the kingdom 
because he saw how weak and easily led the King was. 
It seemed indeed as if the King needed a protector, for he 
was not only weak and foolish, but at times he was quite 
mad and unable even to speak for days. The Duke of 
York hoped that if he was protector during Henry's life, 
the people would make him King after Henry died. 

The people would very likely have agreed to this had 
not a little son been born to Henry. This little son was 
called Edward, and many of the nobles turned from the 
Duke of York for his sake. Although Henry was quite 
unfit to rule, they hoped that his little son would grow up 
wise and good and more like his grandfather, Henry v. 

So some of the nobles sided with the Duke of York 



264 OUR ISLAND STORY 

and others with the King, and the quarrelHng between 
them became very bad. Many at first were afraid to 
speak out and say openly on which side they were, but 
soon the quarrel grew to be so bitter that not only the 
nobles but the whole nation took sides. 

One day while walking in the Temple gardens in 
London with some other nobles, Richard, Duke of York, 
tried to persuade them to join his cause. 'Ah,' he said 
at last, ' I see you are afraid to speak out. Well, then, 
give me a sign to show on whose side you are.' 

*Let him that is a true-born gentleman, 
And stands upon the honour of his birth. 
If he supposes that I have pleaded truth, 
From off this brier pluck a white rose with me.* 

Saying that he pulled a white rose which grew on a 
bush near and stuck it in his cap. 

Then the Duke of Somerset sprang forward and, tear- 
ing a red rose from another bush, said : — 

' Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer. 
But dare maintain the party of the truth 
Pluck a red rose from off the thorn with me.' 

Then one after another all the nobles who were there 
plucked red or white roses. Those who were for 
Lancaster, that is the King, because he was descended 
from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, wore red roses in 
their caps ; those who were for the Duke of York wore 
white roses in theirs. And ever after, during all the 
years that the wars lasted, red and white roses were the 
sign or badge of the two parties, and the wars were called 
the Wars of the Roses. 

The first battle was fought at St. Albans in 1455 
A.D. The White Rose won this battle and King Henry 




ONE AFTER ANOTHER ALL THE NOBLES PLUCKED RED OB WHITE ROSES 
AND PUT THEM IN THEIR CAPS ' 



THE RED ROSE AND THE WHITE 265 

was taken prisoner. The Duke of York treated Henry 
very kindly, and, as he became quite mad for a time, 
the duke ruled the country. 

The next year, however, the King recovered from 
his madness. He sent the duke away, and once more 
ruled the kingdom himself, or rather it was the Queen 
who ruled, for she was very fond of power, but did not 
care in the least to do what was best for the people. 
So she was greatly hated, and it was not long before war 
again broke out. 

This time, too, the White Rose was successful. 
Queen Margaret fled to Scotland with her little son, 
and Henry was again taken prisoner. 

The Duke of York now claimed the throne in 
earnest. He entered London in great state. Trumpets 
were sounded, the sword of oflice was carried before him, 
and he was followed and surrounded by a train of soldiers 
and servants. He rode straight to Westminster, where 
Parliament was sitting, and did not pause until he reached 
the House of Lords. There he marched up to the throne 
and laid his hand upon the cloth of state with which it 
was covered, as if he meant to show that he had taken 
possession of it. But he did not sit on the throne. 

He stood for some time in silence looking at the 
empty seat, keeping his hand still upon the cloth. Then 
turning he looked at the nobles, as they crowded before 
him. Still silent he stood wondering and as if asking 
himself, ' Are they glad or sorry to see me ? ' 

Then in the silence the Archbishop of Canterbury 
stepped forward. ' My lord duke,' he said, ' will you come 
to see the King ? ' 

The Duke of York drew himself up proudly. * I 
cannot remember, my lord archbishop,' he said, 'that 
there is any one in this kingdom who should not rather 



266 OUR ISLAND STORY 

come to me than I go to him.' Then he turned and 
boldly sat upon the throne. 

Sitting there, the duke made a long speech to the 
lords. He reminded them that Henry iv. had taken the 
crown by force, and tried to show that he, the Duke of 
York, had a better right to the throne than Henry vi. 

'Therefore,' he said, 'according to my just and free 
title I have and do take possession of this royal throne 
and, with God's help, I shall keep it for His glory, my own 
honour, and the good of all my people.' 

When the duke had finished there was a deep silence. 
The lords sat as if struck dumb. In their astonish- 
ment they seemed afraid even to whisper or utter one 
word. 

' It is good,' said the duke at last, 'that you should 
think well of what I have said,' and rising he went away, 
not very pleased at their silence, yet not quite displeased 
either. 

He went to the royal palace, took possession of 
Henry's own rooms, and lived there more like a king 
than a duke. 

Left to themselves, the lords and the commons, after 
a great deal of talking, decided that while Henry lived 
he should still be called King, but that the Duke of York 
should be protector, and that when Henry died the 
duke should be the next King. 

Henry, who was weak and idle, was quite satisfied with 
this. So was the duke, for he was a wise man who really 
loved his country. He meant to rule well, and hoped in 
this way to become King without further fighting. But 
Queen Margaret was very angry. She loved to rule and 
she hated the Duke of York, and she would not be ruled 
by him nor have her son set aside for him. She came 
from Scotland, where she had been hiding with her little 



\ 



THE RED ROSE AND THE WHITE 267 

boy and, gathering an army, fought another battle with 
the Duke of York and his followers. 

It was a terrible battle. This time the Red Rose 
won, and the Duke of York himself was taken prisoner. 

After the battle was over the Red Rose soldiers set 
the duke on a little mound. They crowned him with 
bulrushes and then knelt before him crying, ' Hail king 
without rule ! Hail king without heritage ! Hail duke 
and prince without people or possessions ! ' and after this 
cruel mocking of a helpless prisoner they cut off his head. 

The wicked Queen Margaret laughed with joy when 
she saw it and, to mock the dead man still further, she 
placed a paper crown upon the head and stuck it upon the 
walls of York. 

One of the duke's sons, a pretty boy of only twelve, 
was killed too. He was trying to run away with his 
tutor when he was caught by one of the Red Rose 
soldiers. 

* Oh please, please do not kill me,' sobbed the boy, the 
tears running down his cheeks, ' I do not want to die.' 
But the soldier had a cruel, hard heart and would not 
listen. Dumb with fear, the poor little boy fell upon 
his knees, holding up his hands to beg for mercy. But 
the soldier had no mercy. * Your father killed mine,' he 
cried, ' I will kill you.' So the poor little boy died. 

Queen Margaret had no mercy either. She seemed 
mad with revenge. She killed as many of the White 
Rose nobles as she could, and the White Rose cause 
seemed lost. 

But although Richard, Duke of York, was dead, he 
had a son called Edward, who now became duke and the 
head of the White Rose party, and more terrible battles 
were fought. 

The people hated the Queen for her cruelty and her 



268 OUR ISLAND STORY 

wickedness. She had no money with which to pay her 
soldiers, so she allowed them to plunder, and they too 
were hated and feared wherever they went. The gates 
of London were closed against them, the people refusing 
to give them even the plainest food. 

But Edward of York was young, brave, and hand- 
some, and, when he came to London with his army, the 
people threw open the gates to him welcoming him as 
their King. 

Then the Bishop of Exeter, standing up among the 
great crowds who had gathered to meet him, reminded 
the people of all the cruel wrongs which they had suffered 
during Henry's reign. ' Will you have him still to rule 
over you ? ' he asked. 

' No ! no ! ' shouted the people. * No ! no ! ' 

* If you will not have Henry, whom will you have ? ' 
asked the bishop. ' Will you serve, love, honour, and 
obey Edward, Earl of March and Duke of York, as your 
only King and sovereign lord ? ' 

* Yes, yes,' shouted the people. ' King Edward, King 
Edward, long live King Edward ! ' 

So with shouting and cheering and clapping of hands 
the people chose Edward of York to be their King. 



CHAPTER LVI 

EDWARD IV.— THE STORY OF QUEEN MARGARET 
AND THE ROBBERS 

It was in 1461 a.d. that the people chose Edward iv. 
as their King, and so there were two kings in England 
— Henry vi. the head of the Red Rose, and Edward iv. 
the head of the White Rose party. 

There could be no peace in the country so long as 
there were two kings each claiming the throne, so, with- 
out waiting to be crowned, Edward marched to meet the 
Red Rose army and to fight for the crown. 

On a cold, bleak day in March the two forces met at 
Towton in Yorkshire, and fought amid a wild storm of 
wind and snow. For ten hours the battle raged. The 
white snow was stained and the river which flowed near 
ran red with blood, till it seemed as if the earth and 
the sky had taken sides with the red and white roses. 
Never since Hastings had such a terrible battle been 
fought on English ground. 

The White Rose was victorious. Henry's cause 
seemed utterly lost, and he and his wife and their little 
son fled to Scotland. 

If Henry had been left to himself he would have given 
up fighting for the crown, for he loved quiet and peace. 
But Queen Margaret loved power and would not rest 
until she had Avon again the kingdom. She got help 



270 OUR ISLAND STORY 

from the French king and in three years was back in 
England once more. 

But Edward and the great Earl of Warwick, who had 
helped to put Edward upon the throne, were too strong 
for Margaret, and she was utterly defeated. 

Without a single friend or servant, Margaret and her 
little son, who was now about eleven years old, fled into 
the forest to hide. The night came on, it grew dark, and 
they lost their way among the winding paths. Hungry 
and tired, they did not know which way to turn. Afraid 
to stop, afraid to go on, starting and shrinking at every 
sound, they clung to each other trembling. 

Presently they heard men's voices and saw the 
glimmer of a fire. Margaret whispered to her little son to 
be very, very still, as they crept near to find out who these 
people were, whether friends or enemies. 

Hidden by the trees, the Queen and her little boy 
came quite close to the fire and stood listening and 
watching. 

In a few minutes they found out that these men 
were robbers. Holding the Prince tight by the hand. 
Queen Margaret made ready to run away. But suddenly 
one of the robbers looked towards them. He saw the 
glitter of jewels in the firelight. With a cry he made a 
spring at the Queen and, in spite of her screams and 
struggles, she was dragged into the circle round the fire. 

* Ah, ah, what have we here ? ' cried one robber. 

* A fine prize, truly,' said another. 

' Here is gold enough,' said a third, roughly pulling 
at the chain round Margaret's neck. ' Come, lady, we 
will have all these things,' he went on, pointing to her 
jewels. 

The Queen began to take off her rings and jewels, for 
she was very much afraid. But one robber pushed the 



QUEEN MARGARET AND THE ROBBERS 271 

other aside. ' Let be,' he said, ' the prize is mine. I 
took her.' 

' Nay, nay, share and share alike.' 

* It is mine, I say.' 

' I took her, I say, it is mine.' 

So the robbers began to quarrel fiercely about the 
treasure, and while they quarrelled, Margaret took the 
Prince in her arms and ran away. 

Where she ran she did not know. On and on she went, 
stumbling through the dark forest. At last, breathless 
and weary, unable to go another step, she sank down on 
a grassy bank. Scarcely had she done so when another 
robber appeared. 

Seeing no escape, Margaret went towards this robber, 
and putting the little Prince into his arms, ' Friend,' she 
said, ' take care of him, he is the son of your true King.' 

The hard, rough man, accustomed only to murder 
and rob, felt sorry for the poor, tired lady and her little 
boy. He held the Prince in his arms saying, ' Lady, I 
will not hurt you. Come with me and I will show you 
where you can rest safely.' 

The robber led the Queen and Prince through the 
forest till he came to his secret cave. There he fed them 
and kept them safe for some days, and at last took them 
to the shore, where they found a ship in which to sail 
over the sea. 

But King Henry was not so fortunate. He escaped 
and hid in various places for nearly a year, but he was 
discovered at last and taken to London. 

As he rode a prisoner into the city, he was met by the 
Earl of Warwick, and the poor unfortunate King was 
made to ride through the streets like a common criminal, 
with his feet tied under his horse. Then he was shut up 
in the Tower of London. 



CHAPTER LVII 

EDWARD IV.— THE STORY OF THE KING-MAKER 

Edward iv. now felt quite sure of the throne, and he 
married secretly a beautiful lady called Elizabeth Wood- 
ville. When this marriage became known, the Earl of 
Warwick was very angry, because he thought the King 
should have married some one more great and powerful. 

The Earl of Warwick himself was so great and power- 
ful that he was called the King-maker, and he had done 
much to make Edward king. 

Edward soon acted in many ways which displeased 
the earl, and they quarrelled, and plots were formed to 
drive Edward from the throne. Among the people who 
plotted against him was the Duke of Clarence, King 
Edward's own brother. 

At last the Earl of Warwick became so angry with 
Edward that he took him prisoner, and shut him up in a 
castle called Middleham. So there were two kings in 
England, both of them prisoners. 

The King-maker, having made and unmade the King, 
now ruled the country himself for a year. He really had 
intended to make the Duke of Clarence king, but he found 
that even he was not powerful enough to do that. 

In about a year's time Warwick set Edward free again 
and, strange to say, they made up their quarrels, and were 
friends once more. 



THE STORY OF THE KING-MAKER 273 

But in a very short time they again quarrelled ; so 
badly this time that the Earl of Warwick, who had 
fought so hard for the White Rose of York, forsook it 
and joined the Red Rose of Lancaster. He went to 
France, where Margaret and her son were, and offered to 
help them to conquer England and place Henry again on 
the throne. 

So one morning Edward awoke to hear the Red Rose 
war-cry, and two friends, running into his room, begged 
him to fly. 'For,' they said, 'even in your own army 
we know not who is true and who is false, many like 
Warwick having turned traitor.' 

Hardly waiting to dress, without money or armour, 
Edward threw himself upon his horse and rode as fast 
as possible to the coast. There he found some ships, and 
with a few friends and two or three hundred faithful 
soldiers, he sailed over to Holland. 

They were very poor, they had no money nor goods 
nor indeed anything except the clothes they wore. 
Edward, who had one day been King of England, Wales 
and Ireland, found himself the next a homeless, penniless 
wanderer. And Warwick, in little more than a week, 
had deposed the King whom he had helped to set on the 
throne, and had placed Henry vi. once more there. 

Henry was brought out of prison and dressed in 
beautiful robes, and, riding upon a splendid horse, was led 
through the town, while the people cheered and shouted, 
* God save the King I Long live King Harry I ' Did he 
remember that the last time he rode through the same 
streets it had been as a wretched prisoner, bound and dis- 
graced by the very man who now set him again on the 
throne ? And did he remember that the people, who now 
cheered, had then cursed and laughed at him ? 

Although Henry was once more on the throne, he 

s 



274 OUR ISLAND STORY 

could not rule. He was like a wooden doll in the hands 
of a clever man such as the Earl of Warwick, and it was 
the earl and the Duke of Clarence who ruled. 

Henry would have been far happier had he been left 
alone to his books and prayers. He loved peace, yet he 
was made the cause of war by the proud and powerful 
men and women around him. 

Edward had been obliged to fly from the country 
penniless and almost friendless, yet he did not despair. 
He persuaded the Duke of Burgundy to help him, and 
soon returned to England with an army. 

No sooner had he landed than people began to flock 
to him. By the time he reached Barnet, near London, he 
had a large army. Many who had joined Warwick now 
forsook him and returned to Edward, among them 
Edward's own brother, the Duke of Clarence, who 
brought twelve thousand men with him. There seemed 
to be no faith nor loyalty in those days. It was hard to 
know who was friend and who was foe. 

At Barnet, on Easter Day, 14th April 1471 a.d., 
another terrible battle was fought. What made it more 
terrible was that it was begun and ended in a thick mist. 
In the white dimness, which wrapped both armies, it was 
difficult to know the Red Rose from the White, and 
indeed at one time the Red Roses fought against them- 
selves. King Edward's men wore a golden sun em- 
broidered upon their coats. The Duke of Oxford's men, 
who were fighting for King Henry, wore a golden star. 
In the mist the Red Rose soldiers, mistaking the star 
for the sun, attacked the Duke of Oxford's men, thinking 
that they were King Edward's men, and killed many of 
them. 

From dawn to midday the battle raged. Then the 
Earl of Warwick's army broke and fled, leaving the 



THE STORY OF THE KING-MAKER 275 

White Rose victorious. The great King-maker was found 
dead upon the field, and Edward iv. was once more King. 

On the very day of this battle Queen Margaret and 
her son, who was now about eighteen, landed in England. 
They had hoped to find Warwick victorious, and Henry 
on the throne. Instead they found Warwick dead, his 
army shattered, and Edward on the throne. 

But Margaret was as bold as ever. She marched 
through England, gathering soldiers as she went, and at 
Tewkesbury another great battle was fought. Here 
again the Red Rose was utterly defeated, and Margaret 
and her son were taken prisoner. 

Prince Edward was led before King Edward. The 
King looked fiercely at the young and handsome Prince. 
He hated him more than he had ever hated his poor, 
weak, gentle father. 

* How dare you come into my kingdom to stir up my 
people to rebellion ? ' he asked. 

* It is not your kingdom, but my father's,' replied 
Prince Edward proudly. *You are a traitor. I should 
sit where you are. You should stand before me as a 
subject.' 

Then King Edward, pale with rage and hate, 
struck the boy in the face with his steel-gloved hand. 
The Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, the King's 
brothers, dragged the Prince away and stabbed him to 
death. 

Queen Margaret was put in prison, and a few days 
later King Henry died mysteriously in the Tower of 
London. Many people thought that he was murdered 
by King Edward's brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. 

At last it seemed as if all Edward's enemies were 
either dead or in prison, and that he might really rule in 
peace. The Red Rose party was for the time utterly 



276 OUR ISLAND STORY 

crushed ; some of the great nobles even were seen barefoot 
and in rags, begging for bread from door to door. 

Edward never quite forgave his brother, the Duke of 
Clarence, for having, at one time, sided with Warwick. 
Clarence, too, was jealous of the Queen Elizabeth and her 
relatives, many of whom had the chief posts at court, so 
he quarrelled with them and with his brother the King. 

At last, an old wizard prophesied that some one 
whose name began with ' G ' would bring about the death 
of King Edward and the ruin of his house. The Duke of 
Clarence was called George, and King Edward made the 
prophecy an excuse for shutting him up in the Tower. 
He never came out again. 

It is supposed that he was murdered, some say by 
being drowned in a cask of wine by the order of his 
brother, the Duke of Gloucester. 

Edward iv. died in 1483 a.d. He was brave, but 
cruel and revengeful, handsome but wicked, caring little 
for the happiness of his people, and his reign was dark 
with many battles and murders. He had ruled for 
twenty-two years, during twelve of which King Henry 
still lived. 



CHAPTER LVIII 

EDWARD v.— THE STORY OF THE KING WHO WAS 
NEVER CROWNED 

When Edward iv. died, his eldest son was only thirteen, 
but the people willingly chose him to be King. 

The young Prince of Wales, now Edward v., was 
living at Ludlow Castle with his uncle. Lord Rivers, 
when the news of his father's death was brought to him. 
He at once set out for London, accompanied by his uncle 
and some gentlemen. 

On the way he was met by another uncle, Richard of 
Gloucester, who was a wicked, hard-hearted man. He 
sent Lord Rivers and his friends to prison, and himself 
took charge of the young King. 

Edward was very fond of Lord Rivers, and was afraid 
of his ugly uncle Richard. He cried when Lord Rivers 
and his friends were taken away from him. That did 
no good, but the poor little King was only a boy, and he 
did not know what else to do. 

When the Queen heard of what had happened, she 
was so frightened that she ran away from the palace in 
which she had been living, taking her daughters and her 
other little son, who was called Richard, with her. She 
ran to Westminster Abbey and there took sanctuary, as 
Hubert de Burgh did, you remember, many years before, 
in the days of Henry iii. 

277 



278 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The Duke of Gloucester had the young King m his 
power, but he was not satisfied with that. He wanted to 
have Prince Richard too. Queen EHzabeth, however, 
would not give up her little boy, who was only ten years 
old. And the Duke of Gloucester, bad though he was, 
was afraid to take him by force, because he was still trying 
to pretend to be a good, kind uncle to the Httle boys. 

At last the duke sent a bishop to the Queen to try to 
persuade her to give up her little son. This bishop said 
everything he could think of to make her do so, but all in 
vain. 

' My little boy has been ill,' said the Queen ; * he is not 
well enough yet to leave his mother.' 

* Ah, lady,' said the bishop, ' it is not kind to his 
brother, the King, to keep him here. They should be 
together so that they could play with each other.' 

* Oh, surely some other little boy could play with the 
King,' said the Queen. ' Little boys, even if they are 
kings, do not ask that their playmates should be princes. 
I cannot, I will not, let my Httle boy go.' 

* Let him but come to me, and I will guard his life as 
my own,' said the bishop. 

At these words the Queen stood for a long time 
thinking silently. It seemed to her as if she must give 
up her boy sooner or later. It would be better to give 
him to this kind bishop, who would perhaps keep him 
safe, than to his wicked uncle. 

So, taking the Prince by the hand, she led him to the 
bishop. ' I know you are faithful and true,' she said. 
' You are strong and powerful too, and oh, for the trust 
his father put in you, I now charge you, guard my boy.' 

Then kneeling beside her little son, and putting her 
arms round him, she held him close to her heart. ' Fare- 
well, my own sweet son,' she said. ' God give you good 



KING WHO WAS NEVER CROWNED 279 

keeping. Let me kiss you yet once before you go, for 
God knows when we shall kiss together again.' Then 
she kissed him and blessed him, and kissed him again and 
again, and at last, crying bitterly, put him into the arms 
of the bishop and turned her face from him. But, weep- 
ing as bitterly, little Richard clung to her and would not 
go, until the bishop, taking him strongly in his arms, 
carried him away. 

The bishop led the Prince straight to his uncle, who 
was very glad to see him. His ugly face shone with joy 
as he took his nephew in his arms and kissed him. ' Now 
welcome, my lord,' he said, ' with all my heart you are 
right welcome.' 

King Edward, too, was very glad to see his brother, 
for they had been parted for a long time. The duke led 
them through the streets with great pomp, and put them 
into the Tower. 

Now that the Duke of Gloucester had both the 
princes in his power he began to show his wickedness. 
He sent to the prison in which Lord Rivers and his 
friends were imprisoned and ordered their heads to be 
cut off, because he knew that they were the Queen's 
friends. 

Then he called a council to arrange, he said, about the 
coronation. Only a very few lords were asked to this 
council. When they were all gathered together he came 
into the room seemingly very much disturbed. 

* What should be done to people who try to murder 
me ? ' he asked. 

At first every one was so astonished that no one spoke. 
Then Lord Hastings, who was a brave man, and true to 
the King, and the Queen, his mother, said, ' If any one 
has tried he deserves to be punished, whoever he is.' 

' The Queen has tried with her sorcery,' cried the 



280 OUR ISLAND STORY 

duke, * and others have helped her.' And pulhng up his 
sleeve, he showed his arm which was all puckered and 
withered. 

In those days it was believed that people had power 
to hurt their enemies by saying wicked words and rhymes, 
and wishing evil to them. It was thought that people 
could even kill others who were quite far away, and 
who they could not even see nor touch. This was 
called sorcery. Of course, it was a very foolish belief, 
and every one knew that the Duke of Gloucester's arm 
had always been withered up, but when he said that 
the Queen had done it by sorcery, no one dared to 
contradict him. 

There was silence in the hall till Lord Hastings said, 
* If the Queen has done this ' 

* You answer me with ifs and ands,' cried the duke, 
*you are a traitor. A traitor, I say,' and with that he 
struck with his hand upon the table. 

Immediately soldiers rushed into the room. 

* Seize him,' he said, pointing to Lord Hastings, * cut 
off his head.' 

* My lord,' said Hastings, * I am no traitor.' 

' You are a traitor ! ' yelled the duke, * and, by 
Heaven, I will not dine till I see your head cut from 
your body. Obey your orders,' he added, turning to the 
soldiers. 

Lord Hastings was hurried away, and, without being 
allowed to defend himself, without a trial of any kind, he 
was made to lay his neck upon a rough plank of wood 
which happened to be at hand, and his head was at once 
cut off. So another of the King's friends was dead. 

The Duke of Gloucester next made a clergyman, 
called Shaw, preach to the people and tell them that the 
little princes were not really the sons of King Edward iv. 



KING WHO WAS NEVER CROWNED 281 

and his Queen and that, therefore, they had no right to 
the throne of England. 

' Our true King,' said this wicked clergyman, ' is 
Richard, Duke of Gloucester.' Then he waited, ex- 
pecting every one to cry out, ' King Richard I King 
Richard I ' But there was not a sound. The people 
stood as if they had been turned into stone. Pale and 
trembhng they went away to their homes, wondering 
what would happen next. The clergyman, too, went 
home. He was so ashamed to have preached such a 
wicked sermon that he never again showed himself to 
the people, and died soon after. 

The Duke of Gloucester was very angry and dis- 
appointed when he heard of the bad success of his wicked 
plans, but he did not give them up. He again gathered 
a lot of people together, and this time his friend, the 
Duke of Buckingham, talked to them. The Duke of 
Buckingham said much the same things as the clergy- 
man had said. When the people heard these wicked lies 
for the second time, they began to whisper among them- 
selves, till it seemed as if a swarm of buzzing bees 
filled the hall. But not a single person shouted, ' King 
Richard ! ' 

Then some of the duke's servants and friends came 
into the hall, and they shouted, 'King Richard! King 
Richard ! Long five King Richard ! ' but the cries sounded 
very feeble, for they came from only a few. 

The Duke of Buckingham, however, pretended that 
all the people had shouted for King Richard. He 
thanked them, and he and his friends went to the 
Duke of Gloucester and told him that the people had 
chosen him as their King, and were cheering and shouting 
for King Richard. 

Richard then pretended to be very unwilling to take 



282 OUR ISLAND STORY 

the crown, and only consented to do so after a great deal 
of persuasion. This was all a part of his wickedness and 
cunning. 

Richard was crowned with much splendour and 
grandeur. And poor little King Edward, who had 
never been crowned at all, and who had only been 
called King for a few weeks, was kept shut up in the 
Tower of London. 



CHAPTER LIX 

RICHARD III.— THE STORY OF THE TWO LITTLE 
PRINCES IN THE TOWER 

When Edward was told what his uncle had done, he was 
very sad and very much afraid. ' Oh,' he said, ' I hope my 
uncle will not take my life as he has taken my kingdom.' 
From that day he became very sorrowful, and did not 
seem to care about anything. He did not even trouble 
to dress himself properly. 

Richard took away all the little Princes' servants and 
left them only one man, called Black Bill. He was 
rough and rude, but even he loved the gentle little boys 
and tried to comfort them, for, shut up in one room with 
nothing to do, the days seemed very long and dreary. 

But although Richard was King, he could not be 
happy. He could not forget the little Princes in the 
Tower. As long as they lived, he knew that some day 
the people might drag him from the throne and make 
one of them King instead. So he determined to kill 
Edward and his brother. 

King Richard sent a message to the Governor of the 
Tower telling him to kill the Princes. But the Governor 
refused to do the wicked deed. Richard, however, could 
always find men bad enough to do what he wanted. 

He sent a bad man now to the Governor of the 
Tower, commanding him to give up the keys of the 

283 



284 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Tower for one night. The Governor was forced to obey 
the King, but he did so with a sad heart. 

That night the little Princes went to sleep with their 
arms round each other's necks, each trying to comfort the 
other. They lay together in a great big bed, happy in 
their dreams, with tears still wet upon their cheeks. 

As they slept two men crept softly, softly up the dark 
stair. Quietly they opened the door and crept into the 
room. They stood beside the bed, hardly daring to look 
at the two pretty children in case the sight might soften 
even their hard hearts, and they would be unable to do 
the cruel deed. Then they seized the clothes and the 
pillows and pressed them over the faces of the little boys. 
They could not scream, they could not breathe. Soon 
they lay still, smothered in their sleep. 

Then these wicked men took the bodies of the two 
little Princes, threw them into a hole which they had 
made under the staircase, covered them over and fled 
away. There the bodies were found many years later. 

Now that Richard had murdered the rightful King and 
his brother, he was no happier. Terrible dreams came to 
him at night so that he could not sleep. By day he 
thought that people were ever ready to kill him, and his 
hand was almost always on his dagger. The people 
hated him and he knew no rest nor peace. He tried to 
make good laws so that the people might forget his 
wickedness. But it was of no use. They hated him in 
spite of all he could do. 

Plots against Richard soon began. Even the Duke 
of Buckingham, who had helped him in his wickedness, 
and put him on the throne, turned against him. 

The people longed for another King, and their thoughts 
went out to Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond. 

You remember that Queen Catherine, the widow of 




■THE DAYS SEEMED VERY LONGr AND DREARY TO THE TWO LITTLE BOYS' 



TWO LITTLE PRINCES IN THE TOWER 285 

King Henry v., married a Welsh gentleman called Owen 
Tudor. This Henry Tudor was her grandson and he was 
also descended from John of Gaunt. He belonged to the 
House of Lancaster and had fought for the Red Rose. 

Henry of Richmond was at this time living in France, 
but he now gathered an army and came over to England. 
But before he came Richard had already fought the Duke 
of Buckingham. He defeated him, took him prisoner, 
and then cut off his head. When Henry heard that, he 
went away again. 

But he soon came back. This time as soon as Henry 
landed, people flocked to him. Noble after noble deserted 
Richard and joined the Red Rose party. 

In 1485 A.D. a great battle was fought called the Battle 
of Bosw^orth Field. This was the end of the Wars of the 
Roses, and in it King Richard was kiUed. He fought well, 
for, although he was small and deformed, he could fight. 
His horse was killed under him, but he still fought on foot. 
In the middle of the battle Lord Stanley left the King, 
and, with all his followers, joined Henry Tudor. Seeing 
that the battle was lost, some of his nobles begged Richard 
to fly, but he would not. * I will die a King,' he said, and 
so he fell in the thickest of the fight. As he fell, the 
crown which he had worn over his helmet rolled away 
under a hawthorn tree. There it was found by Lord 
Stanley who set it upon Henry Tudor's head and, on the 
battle-field with the dead and dying round, the soldiers 
shouted, ' King Henry ! King Henry ! Long live King 
Henry ! The place is still called Crown Hill to this day. 

Richard iii. had reigned two years, two months, and 
one day. 'And it was twenty-six months and twenty- 
four hours too long,' said a man who lived about that 
time, and who tells his story. 



CHAPTER LX 

HENRY VII.— THE STORY OF A MAKE-BELIEVE PRINCE 

^VlTH Henry Tudor a new race of kings began to reign 
in England. 

For more than three hundred years the kings of 
England had been Plantagenets. Henry ii. was the first 
of the Plantagenets, and he took his name from Geoffrey 
of Anjou who used to wear a piece of planta genista in 
his cap. With Richard iii. the last of the Plantagenets 
died, for Henry vii., though a Plantagenet on his mother's 
side, was a Tudor on his father's side, and it was from his 
family that Henry took his name. 

The Tudors were Welsh and claimed to be descended 
from the ancient British princes who, you remember, 
were driven into Wales when the Saxons took possession 
of England. 

The Battle of Bosworth Field was the last of the 
Wars of the Roses. Henry Tudor, who was the Red 
Rose Prince, married Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward 
IV. and sister of the little princes who were murdered in 
the Tower. She was the White Rose Princess, but by 
marrying Henry she became the Red Rose Queen, and the 
differences between the House of Lancaster and the 
House of York, between the Red Rose and the White, 
ought to have been quite forgotten. 

But Henry himself could not entirely forget these 
quarrels which had been so bitter. There were many 



STORY OF A MAKE-BELIEVE PRINCE 287 

people in England who still belonged to the White Rose 
party. Although they had hated Richard they were not 
pleased to see a Red Rose king upon the throne. So 
Henry vii. was hardly crowned before rebellions against 
him began. 

Soon after Henry vii. was crowned, a handsome boy 
and a priest landed in Dublin. This boy called himself 
the Earl of Warwick. He was, he said, the son of that 
Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward iv,, who was 
murdered in the Tower by being drowned in a cask of 
wine. The priest, he said, was his tutor. Ever since the 
death of his father, the Earl of Warwick had been kept a 
prisoner. But now, he said, he had escaped in some 
wonderful manner. 

The simple Irish people believed this story. They 
knew nothing of Henry and had no reason for either 
hating or loving him. But they did love the House of 
York, for the Earl of Warwick's grandfather had at one 
time governed Ireland in the name of the King, and, hav- 
ing governed well, the people remembered and loved him. 

So now they welcomed this young prince with great 
joy. Edward, Earl of Warwick, as he called himself, 
was gay and young and handsome, and he gained the love 
of the Irish so much that they resolved to crown him 
King. 

This was done with great rejoicing in Dublin. But 
they had no crown, so the priest took the golden crown 
from the statue of the Virgin Mary which was in the 
church, and put it upon the boy's head. Then, wearing 
this crown and dressed in beautiful robes, the new King 
was carried through the streets on the shoulders of a great 
strong Irish chieftain, while the people shouted, ' Long 
live King Edward vi. ! ' 

Having been crowned in Ireland, ' Edward vj.' thought 



288 OUR ISLAND STORY 

he would next conquer England. So he sailed across the 
Irish Sea and landed in England with a small army of 
wild Irishmen and Germans. 

Meanwhile Henry vii. had heard of these doings in 
Ireland and had not been idle. He brought the real 
Earl of Warwick out of the Tower where he had been 
kept prisoner ever since he had been quite a tiny boy. 
Dressed in fine clothes and riding upon a splendid horse, 
the real earl was slowly led through the streets of 
London. From the Tower to St. Paul's and back again 
by another way, he was led so that all the people might 
see him. 

The young earl had spent all his life in prison. It 
must have been a wonderful thing for him to come out 
into the open streets, to see the blue sky and the houses 
and the trees, the great procession of soldiers and knights 
in glittering armour and gorgeous clothes, and the people, 
men, women, and children, crowding in the streets, all 
eager to see him. And, having been led out, having seen 
for once all the life and stir of the great city, the poor 
young prince was taken back again to his dull, quiet 
prison, while the King marched with his army to fight the 
pretended earl. 

The two armies met at a place called Stoke. Very 
few English had joined the pretender, for they were quite 
sure that the earl whom they had seen riding through the 
streets of London was the real earl and that this one was 
only a make-believe. The pretender's soldiers were soon 
defeated, for most of them were wild Irishmen badly 
armed ; and wearing no armour, they were no match for 
Henry's well-armed and well-trained soldiers. 

The pretender was taken prisoner, and so was the 
priest who was with him. They confessed that the prince 
was no prince at all, but a boy called Lambert Simnel, 



STORY OF A MAKE-BELIEVE PRINCE 289 

the son of a baker. The priest who was a Yorkist, or 
White Rose man, hated Henry, and finding that the boy 
Lambert was clever as well as handsome, he taught him 
how to behave as a prince ought. He told him stories of 
the Duke of Clarence and of Richard iii. so that he 
might pretend to be what he was not. 

Henry did not kill Lambert Simnel as many kings who 
reigned before him would have done. Instead he gave him 
a punishment, which, had Lambert indeed been a prince, 
would have been a very dreadful one. He was sent into the 
King's kitchen to be a scullery boy and to help the cooks. 

This boy, who had worn a crown and royal robes, 
who had been carried through the streets shoulder high 
while the people cheered him as their King, was a few 
days later turned into a kitchen drudge, to be ordered 
about by the cooks and set to do the meanest kinds of 
work. 

But Lambert Simnel behaved himself so well that the 
King soon took him out of the kitchen and made him 
a kind of page. He had then to look after the King's 
falcons. 

All great people kept falcons in those days. They 
were used for hunting, and were trained to fly up in the 
air to catch and kill other birds. 

A great deal of time and money was spent on falcons. 
They had hoods of velvet and jewels, and gold and silver 
chains. Lambert must have found his new work much 
more pleasant than helping the cooks in the hot kitchens. 

The priest who had taught Lambert Simnel was 
allowed to go free, but some of the nobles who had helped 
him were beheaded, and others were made to pay large 
sums of money. 



CHAPTER LXI 

HENRY VII.— THE STORY OF ANOTHER MAKE- 
BELIEVE PRINCE 

A FEW years after the rebellion of Lambert Simnel there 
was another which lasted longer and was more serious. 

A second handsome boy, even more handsome, gay, 
and princely than Lambert Simnel, landed in Ireland. 
He was, he said, Richard, Duke of York, the younger of 
the two little princes who had been smothered in the 
Tower, by order of their uncle Richard. 

It was quite true, he said, that his brother, Edward v., 
had been killed, but the wicked murderers had not been 
cruel enough to kill them both, and he had been saved. 
For seven years he had been wandering about the world 
from place to place. Now he had come to claim his 
own again and take the throne from Henry. 

This story was not true. The boy's real name was 
Perkin Warbeck, but, like Lambert Simnel, he had been 
taught to tell these lies by the enemies of Henry, who 
hoped in this way to drive him from the throne. 

Although the Irish had already been deceived once, 
they believed Perkin Warbeck, and many people pro- 
mised to help him. The French king, who was quarrel- 
ling with Henry, invited him to come to France. There 
he was kindly treated, and more help was promised to him. 
But Henry, who always avoided war when he could. 



ANOTHER MAKE-BELIEVE PRINCE 291 

made peace with France. And the French king, although 
he would not betray Perkin to the English king, sent 
him out of France. 

When he was obliged to leave the French court, 
Perkin went to Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. This 
lady was a sister of Edward iv., and she hated Henry vii. 
so much that she was glad to hurt or annoy him when 
she could. She had helped Lambert Simnel, and now she 
welcomed Perkin as her nephew. She said that he was 
very like his supposed father, Edward iv., and she called 
him the White Rose of England. 

Just as Henry had taken trouble to prove that 
Lambert Simnel was a false earl, now he took trouble to 
prove that Perkin was a false prince. He sent spies to 
the places where Perkin had been born and had lived till 
now, and made sure that he was really Perkin or Peterkin 
Warbeck. Then he found the two men who had killed 
the princes in the Tower. They confessed to the murder, 
but they were not punished for it, perhaps because Henry 
thought they had not been so much to blame as 
Richard iii., who had made them do it. 

But in spite of all this, many people believed in 
Perkin. The King of Scotland — the same King who had 
been kept prisoner for such a long time in England — 
believed in him so much that he not only helped him with 
soldiers, but married him to his cousin, a beautiful lady 
called Catherine Gordon. 

Like Lambert Simnel, Perkin was crowned and his 
followers called him Richard iv. The rebellion went on 
for about five years. Battles were fought now and again, 
but Perkin was never successful. His beautiful wife, 
Catherine, went everywhere with him. She at least 
believed in him and loved him. 

At last, hearing that the men of Cornwall were angry 



292 OUR ISLAND STORY 

with the King because he had taxed them too heavily, 
Perkin decided to try his fortune there. He landed in 
Cornwall, left his beautiful wife at St. Michael's Mount, 
where she might be safe, and marched to besiege Exeter. 
But the people of Exeter were true to the King and 
would not yield. So Perkin grew tired of besieging a town 
which would not yield, and he marched away to Taunton. 

There, hearing that Henry was coming against him 
with a great army, he took fright and ran away in the 
night. 

Next morning, when Perkins poor soldiers woke up 
and found that they had lost their leader, they had no 
heart to fight. Some of them ran away like Perkin, 
others gave themselves up, begging the King to forgive 
them. They were all gathered together in a churchyard 
at Exeter, their heads and their feet bare and ropes 
round their necks. King Henry came to a great window 
and looked down upon them. When the people saw 
him, they all cried out and fell upon their knees begging 
for pardon. 

There were so many of them that the King could not 
punish all. So he spoke to them and, warning them not 
to rebel again, said he would forgive them all except the 
ringleaders who should be put to death. 

Then with a great cry of rejoicing and thanks the 
people threw the ropes from their necks and went to their 
homes. 

Henry sent to St. Michael's Mount for the Lady 
Catherine, Perkin's beautiful wife, and when she was 
brought before him, blushing and trembling and fearful 
of the rough soldiers, the King felt so sorry for her that 
he treated her as a royal guest. He gave her a guard of 
honour and sent her to London to the court of his Queen 
Elizabeth. 



ANOTHER MAKE-BELIEVE PRINCE 293 

There she lived for many years, loved and admired for 
her beauty and her gentleness. She was so lovely that 
she was called the White Rose of England, the name which 
the Duchess of Burgundy had given to her cowardly 
husband. 

INIeanwhile Perkin had taken sanctuary at a place called 
Beaulieu. Henry would not seize him while he remained 
in sanctuary, but he kept such a close watch that Perkin 
could find no way of escape, and at last gave himself up. 

Henry would not see nor speak with Perkin, but made 
him ride in his train to London. When they arrived 
there, all the people came out into the streets to see the 
wonderful man who had pretended to be a prince, 
and who had made people believe in him for so many 
years. 

Perkin was even more fortunate than Lambert Simnel 
had been. He was neither put in prison nor was he made 
a servant. He was allowed to live at court like a gentle- 
man, although there were guards always with him, who 
had orders never to lose sight of him. 

Perkin might have spent the rest of his life in peace, 
but he soon grew tired of being watched and one day he 
managed to run away. But he did not run very far. 
Henry's soldiers were too quick for him and once more 
Perkin gave himself up. 

This time Henry punished Perkin by putting him into 
the stocks for two whole days, first at Westminster and 
then at Cheapside. He also made him read a paper aloud, 
in which he confessed that the story he had told was not 
true and that he was not the Duke of York. 

In those days people were often punished by being put 
in the stocks. They had to sit in a very uncomfortable 
position with their feet through holes in a board. It was 
uncomfortable and painful also, and was considered a great 



294 OUR ISLAND STORY 

disgrace. Little boys, and grown up people too, used to 
hoot and yell at those in the stocks and pelt them with 
mud, rotten eggs, and other disagreeable things. 

After Perkin Warbeck had been in the stocks for two 
days Henry shut him up in the Tower. There he met 
the Earl of Warwick — the real earl, not Lambert Simnel. 

These two prisoners were allowed to talk together, and 
soon they formed a plot to kill the Governor of the 
Tower, and escape. But the plot was found out and 
that put an end to Perkin Warbeck, for Henry, thinking 
that he was too dangerous to be allowed to live any 
longer, ordered his head to be cut off. 

The poor Earl of Warwick was also put to death. 
This was a needless and cruel act, for the earl alone was 
too simple to harm any one. Indeed he was so ignorant 
of the world and the things in it, that it was said he did 
not know the difference between a hen and a goose. 

Except for the wars which these pretenders, Perkin 
Warbeck and Lambert Simnel caused, the reign of 
Henry vii. was very peaceful. One reason for that was 
that Henry was greedy, and he knew that wars cost a 
great deal of money. Once indeed he got money from 
the people in order to make war against the French, but 
as soon as he had the money, he made peace and kept 
the money for himself. The people were very angry, but 
Henry as a King was far more powerful than the Planta- 
genets had ever been and the people had to submit. 

One reason why the Tudors were such powerful kings 
was that, during the Wars of the Roses, nearly all the 
nobles were killed. The King took all the money and 
lands which had belonged to these dead nobles, and so he 
became very rich. Being rich he did not need to ask 
Parliament for grants of money, so the people became 
less powerful. Indeed during a great part of Henry's 



ANOTHER MAKE-BELIEVE PRINCE 295 

reign he called no Parliament, which shows how much he 
had of his own way. 

About this time two very wonderful things happened 
which made a great difference throughout the world. 
One was the discovery of printing. The other was the 
discovery of America. 

Up to the time of Edward iv. books had all been 
written by hand, and they were so dear that only a few 
rich people could buy them. But, when a clever man 
called Caxton brought the art of printing to England, 
books became cheaper, and people began to think more 
about learning and less about fighting. 

Then Columbus discovered America. That, too, made 
people think less about fighting, for they gave up quarrel- 
ling about little bits of the Old World and turned their 
thoughts to exploring the wonders of the New World, 
as Columbus called the land he discovered. 



CHAPTER LXII 

HENRY VIII.— THE STORY OF THE FIELD OF THE 
CLOTH OF GOLD 

Long before Henry vii. died in 1509 a.d., all the joy 
and love, which the people had felt for him when he came 
to the throne, had faded away. He had proved to be a 
hard and greedy King and no one was sorry when he 
died. 

His son was also called Henry, and he was only 
eighteen years old when his father died. He was gay and 
handsome and the people believed him to be generous and 
good, so there was great rejoicing when he was crowned. 

Henry's Chancellor was a man called Wolsey. He 
•was a very great man and for many years it was really he 
who ruled England. Wolsey was the son of a butcher. 
Being a clever boy he was sent to school, and afterwards 
to college at Oxford. There he showed himself to be 
so clever that people soon began to notice him, and he 
quickly rose from one post to another until he became 
chaplain to Henry vii. Henry vii. found Wolsey very 
useful to him. He became one of Prince Henry's greatest 
friends, and when Prince Henry became King, he made 
Wolsey Chancellor and Archbishop of York, and heaped 
upon him many other honours and posts, until he was 
almost as rich and as great as the King himself. Wolsey 
liad most splendid houses and about five hundred servants, 



THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD 297 

all of whom wore most beautiful clothes. His cook even 
wore a satin or velvet coat and had a gold chain round 
his neck. 

Wolsey himself dressed most gorgeously in bright red 
silk or satin, and he wore gilded shoes set with pearls 
and jewels. Whenever he went out there was a great 
procession. A man carrying a mace walked first, then 
came two gentlemen carrying silver wands, then two of 
the biggest and handsomest priests that could be found, 
each carrying a great silver cross, then came Wolsey 
mounted upon a mule. He rode upon a mule because 
he said, being a humble priest, it was more fitting for 
him than a horse. But the harness and saddle were of 
velvet and gold, and behind him came a long train of 
his servants and followers on splendid horses. 

Henry viii. was fond of magnificence and show, and 
it pleased him to have so fine a chancellor. Henry was 
gay and the Chancellor was gay. If Henry were sad 
Wolsey would joke and laugh until the King laughed 
too ; if Henry were merry Wolsey would be merry with 
him. Soon people began to see that if they wanted any- 
thing from the King, it was best to make friends with the 
Chancellor. 

Wolsey, on the whole, made good use of his power. 
He was fond of learning. He saw that without learning 
no country could be truly great, and he founded a school 
at Ipswich, which was his birthplace, and a college at 
Oxford. If he tried to make himself great, he also 
thought of England and how to make England great. 

The first few years of Henry's reign were peaceful and 
quiet. Henry vii. had been a very rich man when he 
died, so Henry viii. had plenty of money and, at first, 
the people were not troubled with new taxes. 

Henry pleased every one by marrying a rich and 



298 OUR ISLAND STORY 

beautiful lady called Katherine of Arragon. She was 
a widow, having already been married to Heniy's elder 
brother, who was called Arthur. Arthur would have 
been King had he lived, but he had died a few months 
after his marriage with Katherine. After Arthur died 
Henry vii. kept Katherine at the English court in the 
hope that his second son, Henry, would one day marry 
her. This he now did, although it was then, and still 
is, against the law for a man to marry his dead brother's 
wife. 

However, as Henry thought it was a wise thing 
for him to marry Katherine, he asked the Pope to give 
him leave to do so. And the Pope, whom, you know, 
was a very powerful person, gave him leave. 

In those days people were never long content to be 
at peace, and Henry soon began to fight with France 
and with Scotland. In a battle called Flodden, the 
Scotch were defeated and their King killed, and Henry 
made peace with the Queen, who was his own sister. 
Soon afterwards he also made peace with France. 

Henry then decided that it would be wise not only to 
be at peace with France, but to make friends with the 
French king. So the great Chancellor, Wolsey, arranged 
a meeting between Francis i. of France and Henry viii. 
of England. This meeting took place on a plain in France 
near a little town called Guisnes, and everything about it 
was so splendid that it was called * The field of the cloth 
of gold.' 

A palace for the English king was built so quickly 
that it seemed like a magic thing. It was only made of 
wood, but it was so painted and gilded that it shone and 
ghttered in the sunshine like a fairy palace. Great golden 
gates opened into a courtyard where a fountain, sparkling 
with gold and gems, flowed all day long with red and 



THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD 299 

white wine instead of water. This fountain bore the 
motto — ' Make good cheer who will.' 

The palace walls were hung inside with cloth of 
gold and silver, everything was rich with embroidery 
and sparkHng with gems. Wherever possible, gold and 
jewels shone, the Queen's footstools even being sewn 
with pearls. 

When the French king saw Henry's splendid palace, 
he did not wish to be outdone. He set up a great tent, 
the centre pole of which was a gilded mast. The tent 
was lined inside with blue velvet. The roof was spangled 
with golden stars, and a golden sun and moon shone 
night and day. The outside was covered with cloth 
of gold, and the ropes which held it up were of blue 
silk and gold. 

The tent looked very grand, and glittered in the sun- 
shine like a ball of fire. But when everything was ready, 
a terrible wind arose which snapped the ropes of silk 
and gold, broke the mast, and brought the blue velvet 
sky, the glittering stars, and golden walls to the ground. 
So Francis had to content himself with living in an old 
castle which stood not far away, and very likely he was 
far more comfortable there than he would have been in 
his golden and blue tent. 

When all was ready. King Henry and Queen Katherine 
sailed from England, and with them a great company 
of nobles, each trying to be more splendid than the 
other. 

The two kings met on the plain near Henry's palace. 
They were both dressed in gold and silver cloth, and rode 
beautiful horses with harness of gold and velvet. While 
still on horseback, they embraced and kissed each other. 
' My dear brother and cousin,' said Francis, * I have 
come a long way to see you. I hope you will think 



300 OUR ISLAND STORY 

that I am worthy of your love and help. My great 
possessions show how powerful I am.' 

' Dear cousin,' replied Henry, ' I never saw prince 
with my eyes that I could love better with my heart, 
and for your love I have crossed the seas to the furthest 
bounds of my kingdom in order to see you. ' 

Then the kings got off their horses and, arm in arm, 
walked to a gorgeous tent near by, where a very fine 
dinner was prepared for them. 

For three weeks there were gay times. Grand tourna- 
ments were held, in which the kings fought with the 
knights. And the kings always won. There were balls 
and feasts too. Sometimes the kings and queens and 
lords and ladies dressed up and disguised themselves so 
that no one could tell who was who. This they thought 
was the greatest fun of all. 

The English people were very fond of wrestling, and 
the soldiers used to amuse themselves in this way. 
Henry was fond of all kinds of games and sport, and 
one day, while watching the soldiers, he proposed to 
King Francis that they, too, should try a wrestling match, 
and laughingly laid hold of his collar. 

Francis was quite pleased, for although he did not 
look so strong as Henry, he was very quick and wiry. 
Soon the two kings were struggling together, and in 
a few minutes Henry was lying upon the ground. He 
sprang up with a laugh and wanted to try again. But 
the nobles who stood round persuaded him not to do so. 
They were afraid that what had begun in fun might 
end in a quarrel, if Francis should again throw Henry 
down, for Henry had a very fiery temper. 

Francis felt that in spite of all the show of friend- 
ship, there was no love between the French and the 
English. This was hardly to be wondered at, for they 



THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD 301 

had been such bitter enemies for so long a time that it 
was hard to forget all at once. Francis himself, how- 
ever, was really generous, and wished it really could be 
forgotten. 

One morning, Francis rose early and, without telling 
any of his nobles, he rode quite alone to the English 
camp. Henry was still in bed when King Francis came 
into his room and said, laughing, ' My dear cousin, I come 
to you of my own free will. I am now your prisoner.' 

Henry was very pleased to see that Francis trusted 
him so much that he was not afraid to come quite alone 
like this. He sprang out of bed and threw a chain of 
gold round the French king's neck. 

In return Francis gave Henry a beautiful bracelet, 
and then, laughing and joking like a schoolboy, he 
insisted on helping Henry to dress. He warmed his 
shirt, helped him to tie and button his clothes, and then, 
mounting upon his horse, rode gaily home. 

When he came near his castle he was met by some of 
his nobles, who were anxiously looking for him. Francis 
laughingly told them what he had been doing. ' Sire,' 
said one of them, ' I am very glad to see you back again. 
But let me tell you, master, you were a fool to do 
what you have done. Ill luck be to him who advised 
you to do it.' 

' Well, that was nobody,' replied Francis. * The 
thought was all my own.' 

In spite of the fears and jealousy of the French and 
English, the meeting came to an end as peacefully as it 
had begun. Henry sailed home again with all his gay 
knights, but many of them were quite ruined and penni- 
less. They had spent all their money on fine clothes and 
jewels, so anxious were they to make a great display and 
be grander than the French. 



302 OUR ISLAND STORY 

But all this splendour and show of friendliness meant 
nothing and came to nothing, for Henry, both immedi- 
ately before and after this meeting with Francis, met and 
plotted with Charles, the Emperor of Germany, who was 
the enemy of Francis. When war again broke out the 
English fought against the French as they had always 
done. 



CHAPTER LXIII 

HENRY VIII.— HOW THE KING BECAME THE DEFENDER OF 
THE FAITH AND HOW THE GREAT CARDINAL DIED 

In the reign of Henry viii. the Pope was still the head of 
all the Christian Church although, as long ago as the 
time of Edward iii., a man called John WyclifFe had 
begun to preach and teach against his rule over the Eng- 
lish Church. Wycliffe translated the Bible from Latin 
into English and encouraged the people to read it. His 
followers were called Lollards, and they helped the 
people at the time of Wat Tyler's rebellion in the reign 
of Richard ii. The heads of the Church hated the 
Lollards, and Henry iv., who wanted to please the priests, 
made a law, saying that any one who would not believe 
just what the Pope said he must believe should be burned 
to death. This was a very wicked law, and it marked the 
beginning of another struggle for freedom in England; 
that is the struggle for freedom of conscience, which 
means freedom to think and do what one feels to be right 
in matters of religion, instead of being forced to think 
and do as some one else says is right. For some 
time now very little had been heard of the Lollards, but 
the things which Wycliffe had taught had not been 
forgotten. 

After printing was discovered and books became 
cheaper, people began to read and, in consequence, to 



304 OUR ISLAND STORY 

think much more than they had done before. The more 
people read and thought, the more difficult some of them 
found it to believe just what they were ordered to believe 
by the Pope. 

It was not only in England that this was happening, 
but in many other lands as well. In Germany a monk 
called Martin Luther, after thinking a great deal about it, 
decided that some things which were done in the Romish 
Church were wrong. He was brave enough to say what 
he thought and, in spite of the anger of the Pope and the 
priests, a great many people followed Martin Luther and 
left the Roman Catholic Church. 

This is the beginning of what is called the Reforma- 
tion. That is a long word, but it is quite easy to under- 
stand. It is made from two Latin words, r^, ' again,' and 
formare, 'to form or make.' It means that the people 
who left the Roman Church again formed or made the 
Church. 

These people were called Protestants. The word 
Protestant is also made from two Latin words, pro, 
'publicly,' and testari, 'to bear witness.' So a Protestant 
really means some one who openly and publicly bears 
witness or protests. 

We can hardly understand how bold and brave a 
thing these Protestants did. Now every one is free to 
believe what they think is best and right but, in those 
days, people who could not agree with the Pope were 
cruelly punished or put to death. Now, Protestant 
churches and Roman Catholic churches stand side by 
side, and we do not kill and hate each other because we 
worship God in different ways, but in those days nothing 
caused such cruel suffering and such bitter hatred. 

When King Henry heard what Martin Luther had 
done, he was very angry. Being a clever man, and proud 



DEFENDER OF THE FAITH 305 

of his learning and knowledge about religion, he wrote a 
book against INIartin Luther and his teaching. This book 
he had bound most beautifully, and he sent it to the 
Pope. 

With great splendour and ceremony, dressed in his 
most beautiful robes, and sitting upon his throne with 
all his priests round him, the Pope received Henry's 
messenger. The messenger knelt humbly presenting the 
book and kissing first the Pope's toe and then his cheek. 

Afterwards the messenger made a long speech, and the 
Pope made a long speech, and so the ceremony ended. 

When the Pope liad read the book, he was so pleased 
with it that he gave the King of England a new title. 
He called him Fidci Defensor, which means, ' Defender of 
the Faith.' He wrote a letter to Henry thanking him 
for his book, and calling him ' Our most dear son Henry, 
the illustrious King of England and Defender of the 
Faith.' 

Henry was very proud of his new title, and he held 
a solemn service in the church at Westminster, when 
the Pope's letter was read, and the King's new title 
proclaimed. 

Afterwards Henry quarrelled with the Pope, but he 
kept the title of Defender of the Faith, and it has been 
borne by the kings and queens of England ever since, 
although the faith they now defend is no longer the faith 
of the Roman Church. If you look at some of the coins 
which we use now you will see F.D. or Fid. Def. upon 
them. These letters mean Fidei Defensor or Defender 
of the Faith. 

King Henry quarrelled with the Pope because he 
would not let him put away his wife, Queen Katherine. 
Queen Katherine had done no wrong, but she was some 
years older than Henry, and now that he had been 

u 



306 OUR ISLAND STORY 

married to her for nearly twenty years, and she was no 
longer young and pretty, he had grown tired and wanted 
another wife. 

Henry was very selfish. He thought a great deal of 
his own pleasure and always wanted to have his own way. 
Years before, when he wished to marry Katherine, he 
had made the Pope give him leave to do so, although 
it was against the laws of the Church because, as you 
remember, she had already been married to his brother 
Arthur. Now Henry began to think, or pretended to 
think, that he had been wrong ever to marry her at all, 
and he tried to make the Pope say so. 

Wolsey, whom the Pope had made a cardinal, tried 
very hard to make him say so too, but in vain. After 
a long time the Pope sent another cardinal to England, 
and a great trial was held to decide whether Henry 
should be allowed to put away his wife or not. 

Many wise men were gathered together with the King 
and Queen, the two cardinals, and their priests and clerks. 
When the Queen's name was called she rose from her 
chair, but although she tried to speak, she could not. She 
stood a moment, then crossing the hall to where the King 
sat, she threw herself at his feet. ' Sir,' she said, ' I pray 
you do me justice and right, and take some pity upon me. 
For I am a poor woman and a stranger born out of your 
dominion. Alas, sir, how have I offended you ? I take 
God to judge that I have ever been your true and 
humble wife. I have been glad for the things which 
have made you glad, and I have been sorry for the things 
which have made you sorry. Your friends have been my 
friends, your enemies my enemies. I have loved, for your 
sake, all whom you have loved. 1 have been your wife 
these twenty years and more. If there be any just cause 
for the anger you have against me, I am content to depart 



DEFENDER OF THE FAITH 307 

in shame and rebuke : if there be none, then I pray you 
to let me have justice at your hand.' 

With that she rose up, and making a low curtsey to 
the King, she walked proudly out of the court, a most 
unhappy woman, but a grand and dignified Queen. 

The King sent messengers after her to call her back, 
but she would not return. Nor did she ever again come 
into the court. 

The cardinals and the wise men talked for a long 
time, but they could not decide whether Henry might be 
allowed to send away his wife or not. The fact was the 
Pope was afraid of Henry on the one hand and of the 
Emperor of Germany, who was Katherine's nephew, on 
the other, and dared say nothing. 

Then Henry grew very angry and impatient, and 
blamed Wolsey. Perhaps Wolsey had something to 
do with the delay, for although he did not love Queen 
Katherine, and would have been quite glad to have 
had her sent away, he hated Anne Boleyn, the lady 
whom Henry now wished to marry. 

Anne Boleyn hated Wolsey too, and little by little 
she so turned the King against his old friend that he took 
many of his offices from Wolsey, and in the end sent him 
away from court. 

When Wolsey was sent away, he went to a house 
which he had in the country, a sad and worn-out man. 
He loved power, but he loved England too, and in all he 
had done he had thought of making England great in the 
eyes of the world. With his wise counsels he had done 
much for England, and yet the people hated him. 

The nobles hated Wolsey because he was proud and 
haughty. They could not forget that he was a butcher's 
son, and yet they knew that although Henry ruled 
England, Wolsey ruled Henry. 



308 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The common people hated him because when Henry 
needed money it was Wolsey, his Chancellor, who had to 
wring it from the poor. So they looked upon him as 
the cause of all their sorrows, and there were few who 
mourned and many who were glad at his fall. 

Henry next accused Wolsey of treason and sent for 
him to come to London to be tried. Worn with sorrow 
and sickness, the cardinal started on his journey, but 
when he reached Leicester he was so ill that he could go 
no further. 

' Father, I am come to lay my bones among you,' he 
said sadly to the abbot, who came to welcome him when 
he arrived at the Abbey of Leicester. It was true, for in 
a few days the great cardinal lay dead. ' Had I served 
my God as faithfully as I have served my King,' he said 
before he died, ' He would not have cast me off in my 
old age.' 




HENRY SENT WOLSEY AWAY FROM COURT' 



CHAPTER LXIV 

HENRY VIIL— THE STORY OF THE KING'S SIX WIVES 

After the death of Wolsey, Henry chose a wise and 
gentle man called Sir Thomas INIore to be his Chancellor. 

As the Pope still refused to give Henry leave to send 
Katherine away, he resolved to do so without leave. He 
sent her away, married his new wife, Anne Boleyn, and, 
because the Pope as head of the Church had refused to 
allow him to send Katherine away, he announced that 
the Pope had nothing more to do with the Church of 
England. Henry told the people that in future they 
must look upon the King of England as head of the 
Church as well as of the State. 

The Pope was very angry with Henry and threatened 
him with all kinds of punishments, but Henry did not 
care. He had done what he wished to do, and was no 
longer afraid of the Pope. 

Soon it began to be seen how wise Wolsey had been, 
for now that Henry ruled without him he became a much 
worse King than he had been before. Some good and 
wise men, among them the Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, 
felt that Henry had been wrong to quarrel with the Pope. 
They would not acknowledge him as head of the Church, 
so Henry first put them into prison and then he cut off 
their heads. 

The King soon grew tired of Anne Boleyn, and, when 
people told him that she was a wicked woman, he was quite 



310 OUR ISLAND STORY 

willing to believe them. He put her into prison and 
presently cut off her head. The very next day he married 
another lady called Jane Seymour. This lady was good 
and gentle, but she did not live very long after she was 
married to Henry. He was very sad at her death, and 
for two years he did not marry any one else. At the end 
of that time he married a fourth lady. She was called 
Anne of Cleves. Henry had never seen her, as she lived 
in Germany, but he had seen a picture of her painted by 
a famous artist called Holbein. In it she looked very 
pretty, and Henry said he would marry her because 
Thomas Cromwell, who was his chief adviser at that time, 
told him that it would be a wise thing to do. 

But when the lady came to England, Henry found 
that she was not in the least like her picture. She was 
not at all pretty ; she was very clumsy and awkward and 
could not speak a word of English. 

Henry flew into a great passion, rudely called her ' a 
great Flanders mare ' and vowed he would not marry 
her. He was, however, obliged to do so. He was afraid 
if he did not, he might have to fight the German Princes 
who were her friends. But in revenge he put Thomas 
Cromwell into the Tower, and cut off his head because he 
had advised this marriage. 

Henry soon got rid of his new wife. He offered her 
a large sum of money if she would go away and let him 
marry another lady. Anne was quite pleased to do this. 
No doubt she was glad to get away with her head safe 
upon her shoulders from such an angry, passionate man. 

About a fortnight later Henry married another lady, 
called Catherine Howard. 

This time the King soon discovered that he had 
married a wicked woman. She was not any more wicked 
than Henry was himself, but he did not think of that. 



STORY OF THE KING'S SIX WIVES 311 

To punish her, he cut off her head and the heads of 
several of her friends as well. 

About a year later Henry married his sixth and last 
wife, a lady called Catherine Parr. She was a good 
woman, and it is wonderful that she should have been 
willing to marry so bad a man, and one who was so fond of 
cutting off the heads of his wives. Perhaps she thought 
that Henry might cut off her head if she refused, and after 
all it was a fine thing to be called Queen of England. 

Catherine Parr was clever and she managed to keep her 
head upon her shoulders, although Henry once thought 
of cutting it off, because she did not quite agree with 
him about religious matters. 

Although Henry had quarrelled with the Pope, he did 
not wish England to become a Protestant country. He 
wished the people to remain Roman Catholics, but to 
look upon him instead of the Pope as the head of the 
Church. So he beheaded and burned the people who 
tried to follow the teaching of Luther, and he also 
beheaded and burned those who still looked upon the 
Pope as the head of the Church. 

Yet Henry helped on the Reformation, for he gave an 
order that a Bible should be placed in every church, so 
that people might go there and read it. And as books 
were still very dear, these Bibles were chained to the 
desks in case people should be tempted to steal them. 

Henry vii. had left a great deal of money when he 
died, but Henry viii. was so extravagant and reckless 
that he soon spent it all. He tried many ways of getting 
more money, and after he quarrelled with the Pope he 
thought of a new way. 

All over England there were monasteries and convents 
in which men and women lived who gave up their lives 
to good works. They cared for the sick and poor, taught 



312 OUR ISLAND STORY 

the people how to read and write, and did many other 
useful things. Some of these monasteries and convents 
were very rich, possessing land and jewels besides much 
money. Henry said that the people who lived in these 
places led wicked lives. No doubt some of them did, but 
many of them led good lives and brought great comfort 
and happiness to the poor around them. But because of 
the evil which some did, Henry shut up these monasteries 
and convents. He sent the people who had lived in them 
out into the fields and streets homeless wanderers, and 
took all their money and lands for himself. 

Besides doing this Henry taxed the people very heavily, 
and at last they rebelled. It was a curious rabble-like 
army which gathered together — an army of peasants and 
weavers led by priests and monks carrying their sacred 
banners and crucifixes. 

They called their rebellion ' The Pilgrimage of Grace.' 
' Who is your leader?' asked the Duke of Norfolk, who 
had been sent against them. 

'Our leader is Poverty,' they replied, 'and we are 
driven on by Necessity.' 

Although the King was not well prepared, the rebels 
did not succeed. The Duke of Norfolk persuaded them 
to go home, promising them pardon in the King's name. 
They went home, but the following year the rebellion 
broke out again. This time the King's soldiers were 
better prepared. The rebels were defeated, many of them 
being taken prisoner and put to death in cruel ways. 

Henry viii. died in 1547 a.d., having reigned for nearly 
thirty-eight years. His reign was a great one for Eng- 
land, the country becoming more important among the 
kingdoms of Europe than it had ever been. But Henry 
himself was bad and selfish and, at the end of his reign 
at least, proved himself to be a cruel tyrant. 



CHAPTER LXV 

EDWARD VI.—THE STORY OF A BOY KING 

Henry viii. had three children. They were called Mary, 
Elizabeth, and Edward. 

Edward was the son of Lady Jane Seymour, Henry's 
third wife, and was the youngest of the three. But for 
several reasons he was made King. 

Edward was only nine years old and his uncle, Lord 
Somerset, was made Regent or Protector. Lord Somer- 
set was not a strong man and did not rule well. He 
wished to be powerful and tried to make himself King in 
all but name. His brother, Thomas Seymour, also wanted 
to rule, so there were plots and quarrels between them 
and between the other great nobles. 

Although Henry viii. had quarrelled with the Pope 
he never became a Protestant, nor did he wish the 
religion of the country to be changed. But Lady Jane 
Seymour had been a Protestant and so was her brother 
who was now Protector. Edward vi. had been brought 
up in the new religion and, although he had very little 
real power, he wanted the country to become Protestant. 

But this was not the wish of the whole people. Many 
of them did not like the new English service which the 
King ordered to be used in the churches. It was like a 
Christmas game, they said, and they asked for the old 
Latin service called the Mass to which they were 
accustomed. 



314 OUR ISLAND STORY 

When Henry viii. shut up the monasteries he brought 
great distress on the poor in many ways. He gave some 
of the monastery land to his friends, and these gentlemen, 
growing greedy, began now to add to their possessions by 
enclosing with fences the common lands, which before 
had been free to every one. The poor had been allowed 
to feed their cows and sheep on these common lands but 
now that they were enclosed by fences, the sheep and 
cows died from hunger, and the poor people were worse 
off than ever. 

Those who had been turned out of the monasteries 
were all Roman Catholics. They were now homeless, and 
went among the people telling them that all their sorrows 
were because of the change of religion. At last the 
people rose in rebellion, many of them hardly knowing 
why, but only feeling that they were very unhappy. But 
the rebellion was soon crushed and the ringleaders put to 
death. 

It is told how the Provost Marshal wrote to one man, 
the Mayor of Bodmin, who was known to have been one 
of the leaders, saying that he was coming to dinner. The 
mayor was very glad, thinking that he was not to be 
punished for his share in the riots. He made ready a 
splendid dinner and received the provost and his friends 
with great politeness. 

' Mr. Mayor,' said the provost, ' I have to hang a 
man in the town after dinner. Will you have a gallows 
set up ? ' 

The mayor gave the order to the hangman and then 
they sat down to dinner. They were all very gay and 
merry and, when the meal was over, the provost took the 
mayor by the arm, saying cheerfully, ' Come now, let me 
see these gallows.' 

The mayor led him to where they were set up. 



THE STORY OF A BOY KING 315 

* Do you think they are strong enough ? ' said the 
provost. 

* Oh yes,' replied the mayor, * I can assure your lord- 
ship they are quite strong enough.' 

* Very well,' said the provost, * you shall go up and 
try, for you are the man that is to be hanged.' 

' You do not mean that, my lord, you are joking,' said 
the mayor. 

*Nay, but I do mean it,' said tie provost. Up you 
get, you have been a busy rebel and now here is your 
reward. ' 

And in spite of all he could say the poor mayor was 
hanged upon his own gallows. 

But the people rose again and again. One of the 
chief rebellions was under a man called Ket. He was a 
tanner. A great many people gathered round him, and 
they camped near Norwich on a plain, in the centre of 
which stood a great oak-tree. This tree they called the 
Oak of Reformation, and under its branches Ket held his 
Parliament and Court, deciding quarrels, making laws, 
and punishing wrong-doers. 

Ket encouraged his followers to pull up the hedges, 
throw down the fences, and fill up the ditches with which 
the common lands had been surrounded. Otherwise they 
behaved in a wonderfully orderly manner. They did 
indeed steal sheep and cattle from the rich gentlemen 
round so that they might have plenty to eat in the camp. 
But Ket ordered his men not to hurt any honest or 
poor people. He called himself the King's friend, and 
said he fought only against the wicked lords who gave 
him bad advice. 

For some time the Protector did nothing and Ket's 
army grew larger and larger. Lord Somerset was sorry 
for the people. He knew that they were very poor, and 



316 OUR ISLAND STORY 

felt that they were badly treated. Yet he knew, too, that 
he ought to do something to put down the rebellion. 

At last a royal herald came. Dressed in his coat 
embroidered with the arms of England, he stood under 
the Oak of Reformation and blew his trumpet, and, while 
the people gathered round to listen, he cried, ' All ye 
good subjects of Iving Edward vi. by the gi-ace of God, 
Defender of the Faith, King of England, attend.' Then 
he told them that he had been sent to say that King 
Edward would pardon them all, if they would go quietly 
back to their homes. 

Many of them would have done this but Ket said, 
' No. Pardon is for rebels. We are no rebels. We are 
the true subjects of the King, and only wish to prevent 
him from being evilly advised.' So he would not go 
home. 

The Protector had gathered an army, intending to make 
war on Scotland, and this army he now sent against Ket 
and his men. There was a good deal of fighting. JNIany 
people on both sides were killed, the town of Norwich 
was taken and retaken, but in the end Ket was defeated. 
He and his brother were taken prisoner with many of 
their followers. They were put to death, and nine of the 
chief rebels were hanged upon the branches of the Oak 
of Reformation. 

As time went on, the quarrelling among the nobles 
grew worse. The office of Protector was first taken from 
Somerset, and he was then beheaded. Many of the 
common people were sorry for this, because they believed 
that Somerset had really been tlieir friend, and they loved 
him although the nobles hated him. 

Lord Somerset was succeeded by the Duke of 
Northumberland. The Duke of Northumberland was 
also a Protestant, and he was quite as fond of power as 



THE STORY OF A BOY KING 317 

Somerset had been, and began to make plans to get the 
crown of England into his hands. 

Edward had never been strong, and Northumberland 
knew that he was not likely to live long. The next heir 
to the throne was Mary, Edward's elder sister. She was 
the daughter of Katherine of Arragon, the first wife of 
Henry viii. Princess Mary was a Roman Catholic. She 
hated the Protestant religion as much as Edward loved it. 
It made Edward sad to think that, when he was dead, 
Mary would undo all that he had done and that England 
would again become Roman Catholic. 

Northumberland knew this, and he pursuaded Edward 
to make a will leaving the throne to his cousin. Lady 
Jane Grey. Of course Edward bad no right to do this, 
but he did do it. 

Lady Jane Grey was the great-granddaughter of 
Henry vii., and she was married to the Duke of 
Northumberland's son. She was very young, being only 
about sixteen, and the duke thought that if she were 
Queen, he would be able to do just as he liked. He tried 
to keep his plan secret, for he knew that many of the 
people wished Mary to be Queen. He succeeded so well 
that even Lady Jane herself did not know what he intended 
to do. 

In 1553 A.D., soon after Edward had made his will, 
leaving the crown to his cousin, he died. He was a good 
and gentle boy, fond of books and learning. During his 
short reign he built many schools. They still exist and 
are called King Edward schools. 

Edward was very anxious to do what was right, but 
Hke his father Henry viii., he was also fond of his own 
way. Had he lived to be old enough really to reign, he 
might have proved to be a good King. But it is hard to 
tell, for while he lived he had little real power. 



CHAPTER LXVI 

THE STORY OF LADY JANE GREY 

As soon as King Edward vi. was dead, Northumberland, 
with several other nobles, went to Lady Jane Grey, and 
offered her the crown. They knelt to her, kissing her 
hand and greeting her as their Queen. 

It was a great thing to be Queen of England, but 
Lady Jane was not glad. She was sad and frightened. 
She trembled as the duke spoke to her, then covering 
her face with her hands, she fell fainting to the ground. 

When she came to herself again she cried bitterly for 
sorrow at the death of her cousin, whom she had loved 
dearly. She was only a very little older than he and, 
like him, she was fond of learning ; indeed they had often 
had the same masters. 

Lady Jane was even more clever than Edward. She 
could speak and write Greek and Latin, and she knew 
some Hebrew. This was more wonderful in those days 
than it would be now, for then very few people had any 
learning at all. 

As Lady Jane wept for her cousin, the nobles tried to 
comfort her by reminding her how great she herself now 
was. But that did not comfort her. It frightened her. 

* I cannot be Queen,' she said. ' I cannot bear so 
great an honour. I am not fit for it.' 

' It is your duty,' said the duke, ' You cannot put 
away from you the duty God gives you.' 

318 



THE STORY OF LADY JANE GREY 319 

With tears running down her face, Lady Jane fell 
upon her knees, and clasping her hands said, ' Then if it 
must be so, God give me strength to bear this heavy 
burden. God give me grace to rule for His glory and the 
good of the people.' 

The next day Lady Jane was taken in state to the 
Tower. But no crowds gathered to greet and cheer her 
as their Queen. A few people came out of idle curiosity, 
but they were all silent. Not one voice cried, * God save 
the Queen ! ' 

But while these things were happening, the Princess 
Mary did not sit still. She raised an army and claimed 
the crown. Northumberland marched against her with 
another army, leaving Lady Jane in the Tower. No 
sooner had he gone, than many of the lords, who had 
joined him in helping to put Lady Jane on the throne, 
began to regret it. They one and all declared for Queen 
jNlary and, marching to the Tower, demanded the keys 
in her name. 

Lady Jane's father, who had been left to guard the 
Tower, was afraid to resist, and he opened the gates to 
INIary's friends. Then running to his daughter's room 
he told her that her reign was at an end. 

' Dear father,' she said, ' these are the happiest words 
I have heard since you told me that I must be Queen. 
May I go home now ? ' she added. 

But alas ! it was easier to enter the Tower than to 
leave it, and she was kept fast prisoner. 

JNleanwhile Mary had been proclaimed Queen in the 
streets of London. 

Instead of the gloomy silence which had greeted Lady 
Jane Grey, the people shouted with joy, * God save the 
Queen ! God save the Queen ! ' 

The news spread fast. The church bells rang, the 



320 OUR ISLAND STORY 

})eople sang and shouted, bonfires were lit, everywhere 
there was feasting and rejoicing. Mary was Queen. 

The news travelled on. It reached Northumberland 
and his army. The duke knew when he heard it that his 
cause was lost, that his hopes and his fortunes were fallen 
and broken. Only one thing was left to him. He, too, 
took off his cap and shouted with the rest, ' God save the 
Queen ! ' Poor Lady Jane, the ten-days Queen, was 
forgotten. 

But even that could not save Northumberland, and he 
was taken back to London a prisoner. The people 
hated him, and they shouted, ' Traitor, traitor, death to 
the traitor ! ' as he was led through the streets, till in fear 
and shaine he hid his face from them as he entered the 
Tower, out of which he never again came. 

Mary was so glad and happy to have won the crown 
that she was at first kind to every one. She would not 
put Lady Jane and her husband to death — an innocent 
girl was not to blame, she said. But she kept them both 
prisoners in the Tower. It is even thought that Mary 
would have spared the life of Northumberland. But 
many of the nobles hated him. It was decided that he 
must die, and his head was cut off. 

JNIary's gentleness did not last long. When once she 
felt herself secure upon the throne, she proved to be as 
self-willed as her father, Henry viii., had been. 

Mary was a Roman Catholic, and she made up her 
mind to bring England back to that faith. At first 
many of the people were glad of this, for although they 
did not wish to come under the rule of the Pope again, 
they did not like the new religion. But when Mary Jet 
it be known that she meant to marry Philip of Spain, the 
people were very angry. 

Spain was a Roman Catholic country. The English 



THE STORY OF LADY JANE GREY 321 

hated the Spaniards, and were afraid of them. The 
Spaniards they knew were cruel. They had in their 
country a terrible court called the Inquisition. 

Inquisition means to seek out. If any one was sus- 
pected of thinking for himself in matters of religion he 
was brought before this court and asked searching ques- 
tions, so that the truth might be sought out. Sometimes 
the questions were so difficult to answer that innocent 
people made themselves appear guilty. But whether 
innocent or guilty those who were brought before this 
court were nearly always tortured, and often condemned 
to be burned to death. 

However much the English wished to return to the 
Roman Catholic religion, they did not wish this terrible 
Inquisition to be brought into their country. They tried 
to make Mary marry an Englishman. But Mary was 
very proud and haughty. ' There is no Englishman my 
equal. I will not marry a subject,' she said. 

No one was pleased with tliis marriage, and the Pro- 
testants were very much afraid. Anything, they thought, 
would be better than to allow a Spaniard to rule in 
England. So a plot was formed to put Mary from the 
throne, and to set either her sister Elizabeth or Lady 
Jane Grey in her place. 

But the plot failed. All the leaders were beheaded, 
and hundreds of their followers were hanged. Gentle 
Lady Jane, who had never wished to rule, was blamed 
for this rebellion. She was brought out of the Tower 
where she had been kept prisoner, and her beautiful head 
was cut off. Her husband, father and brother were also 
put to death. The Queen had begun to earn for herself 
her terrible name of ' Bloody Mary.' 



X 



CHAPTER LXVII 

MARY I.— HOW THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH BECAME 
A PRISONER 

Queen Mary thought that her sister, the Princess EHza- 
beth, had a part in the plot to put her from the throne, 
so, as soon as it began, she sent some gentlemen with 
soldiers to take her prisoner. 

These gentlemen arrived late in the evening at the 
house where the Princess was living. 

* Tell the Princess,' they said to her lady-in-waiting 
who met them, *that we must see her at once. We 
come from court with a message from the Queen.' 

The Princess was ill and in bed, but the lady took the 
message to her. 

* Go back to the gentlemen,' said the Princess, * say to 
them that I welcome them, but as it is so late, I trust 
that they will wait to speak with me until the morning.' 

' No, we must see the Princess at once,' replied the 
gentlemen when they received this answer, and without 
waiting for more, they followed the lady into Princess 
Elizabeth's bedroom. 

She was very much surprised, and angry too, when she 
saw them. ' Is there so much haste that you cannot wait 
until morning ? ' she asked. 

' We are sorry to see you so ill,' replied the gentle- 
men, somewhat ashamed of themselves. 

822 



PRINCESS ELIZABETH A PRISONER 323 

* And I am not glad to see you here at this time of 
night,' returned the Princess. 

'There is no help for it,' said the gentlemen. *We 
are sent by the Queen, and her message is that you must 
come to her at once.' 

* Certainly, I shall be very pleased to obey,' replied 
EUzabeth, ' but you can see for yourselves that I am not 
well enough to come at present.' 

' We are very sorry,' replied the gentlemen, * but you 
must come. Our orders are to bring you dead or alive.' 

This made the Princess very sad, for she now felt sure 
that she had reason to be afraid of her sister, the Queen. 
She tried very hard to make the gentlemen go away, 
but they would not. At last, after a great deal of talking, 
she agreed to go with them next morning. 

When the time came Princess Elizabeth was so ill 
that she fainted several times as she was being led out of 
the house. All her servants, crying bitterly, gathered to 
say good-bye to her. They loved their mistress very 
much, and they did not know what was going to 
happen. 

When Elizabeth arrived at court, she was not allowed 
to see the Queen, but was shut up in her room, and kept 
a prisoner there for a fortnight. Gentlemen of the court 
came and talked to her, trying to make her confess that 
she had helped in the rebellion against the Queen. But 
she said always that she knew nothing of it, and had 
ever been true to her sister. Then one day they told 
her that she was to be taken to the Tower. 

The Princess became very much afraid. She knew 
what a dreadful place the Tower was — what fearful 
things happened there, and how few people who once 
went in ever came out alive. She begged and prayed 
not to be taken there. 



324 OUR ISLAND STORY 

* I am true to the Queen,' she said, * in thought, word 
and deed. It is not right that she should shut me up in 
that sad place.' 

But the lords replied, * There is no help for it. The 
Queen commands and you must obey.' 

So a boat was brought and the Princess was rowed 
down the Thames to the Tower. It was a dreary 
morning. Sky and river were grey, and the rain fell 
fast. As the boat went slowly on, the Princess sat silent 
and sorrowful, deep in thought. At last the boat 
stopped. The lords stepped out, and the Princess, 
awakened from her sad thoughts, looked up. But 
when she saw that the boat had stopped at the gate 
of the Tower called the Traitors' Gate, she sat still. 

' Lady, will you land ? ' said one of the lords. 

* No,' answered Elizabeth, ' I am no traitor.' 
*Lady, it is raining,' said another of the lords, as 

he tried to put his cloak round her to shelter her. But 
the Princess dashed it back with her hand. Then rising, 
she stepped on shore, saying as she did so, ' Here landeth, 
being a prisoner, as true a subject as ever stood upon 
these steps.' 

When the Princess reached the courtyard, she would 
go no farther, but sat there upon a stone. Not all the 
entreaties of the lords could mov^ her. Through the 
-cold and wet of the dreary morning she sat in that grim 
courtyard. 

* Lady, you will do well to come in out of the rain,' 
said the Governor of the Tower. ' You are but un- 
comfortable there.' 

' Better to sit here than in a worse place,' replied the 
Princess, * for I know not where you will lead me.' 

Then one of her own servants, kneeling beside her, 
burst into tears. 



PRINCESS ELIZABETH A PRISONER 325 

' Why do you weep for me ? ' said Elizabeth. ' You 
should rather comfort me and not weep.' But she 
rose and went sadly into the Tower. Then the doors 
were locked and barred. The Princess was a prisoner 
at last. 

A close prisoner Elizabeth was kept. Very few of 
her own servants were allowed to be with her. But 
one of the servants of the Tower had a little son about 
four years old. He used to come to see the Princess 
and bring her flowers, and they soon became great 
friends. But when Elizabeth's enemies heard of this, 
they thought that she would try to send messages to 
her friends by this little boy. So, one day, they caught 
him and promised to give him apples and figs if he 
would tell them what the Princess said to him, and 
what messages she sent to her friends. 

But although the boy was so young, he understood 
that these men must be the enemies of the Princess, 
and he would not tell them anything, if indeed he had 
anything to tell. They talked for a long time, but could 
learn nothing from him. ' Please, my lord,' said the 
little boy at last, ' will you now give me the apples and 
figs you promised ? ' 

' No, indeed,' replied the gentleman, ' but you shall 
have a whipping if you talk to the Princess any more.' 

' I shall bring my lady more flowers,' replied the 
little boy boldly. 

But his father was told that he must not allow his 
son to run about the Tower any longer, and next day 
the Princess missed her little friend. But presently she 
saw him peeping through a hole in the door, and when 
he saw that no one was near he called to her, ' Lady, 
I can bring you no more flowers.' 

Then the Princess smiled sadly but said nothing. She 



326 OUR ISLAND STORY 

knew that unkind people had taken even this one little 
friend from her. 

The Princess lived in constant fear of her life. After 
a time she was removed from the Tower, and was sent 
from prison to prison. It was no wonder that one day, 
hearing a milkmaid singing gaily, Elizabeth said she, 
too, would rather be a milkmaid and free, than a great 
Princess and a prisoner. 

At last she was allowed to go to Hatfield, a house 
near St. Albans, which now belongs to the Marquis of 
Salisbury. There, carefully watched and guarded, she 
lived until Mary died. 



CHAPTER LXVIII 

MARY I.— HOW A CANDLE WAS LIT IN ENGLAND WHICH 
HAS NEVER BEEN PUT OUT 

When Mary had put down the rebellion which her desire 
to marry Philip had raised, she had her own way and 
married him. 

He came from Spain with much pomp and splendour, 
and as he rode through the streets of London there was 
a show of rejoicing, but the people did not really like 
him. He brought a great deal of money with him, 
and gave presents to the people, but still they did not 
like him. Parliament took good care that he should 
have no share in the government, and that made him 
angry. No one loved him except Mary. 

With Philip's help the Queen began to do what she 
dearly wished. That was to bring England again under 
the power of the Pope. 

The Pope sent a messenger to England, and Philip 
and Mary, holding a solemn service, knelt at his feet. 
They confessed that Henry viii. had done a wicked 
thing, when he quarrelled with the Pope. They said 
that the people of England were sorry for it, and humbly 
begged to be forgiven. 

Then the Pope's messenger granted them forgiveness 
in his master's name, and England was once more said to 
be Roman Catholic. 

827 



328 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Now began the most terrible time of Mary's reign, for 
it required more than a few words from King, Queen, and 
Pope to make England again truly Roman Catholic. 
The Protestants would not give up their religion. Mary 
was determined that they should. Those who refused 
were imprisoned and put to death in the most cruel way. 
They were burned alive. 

It would make you too sad to tell stories of this 
terrible time. In three years nearly three hundred 
people were put to death by Mary's cruel orders. Yet 
she did no good but rather harm to her cause. For 
many who were at first on her side turned away with 
horror from her dreadful cruelties. 

These men and women who suffered death so cheer- 
fully for their religion fought for British freedom as 
much as Caractacus, or Harold or any of the brave men 
of whom you have heard. And it was much harder to 
die as they did, than to fall in battle fighting for their 
country with sword and spear. So when you hear such 
names as Rogers, Hooper, Ridley, Latimer, and Cranmer, 
honour them as heroes, and think gratefully of the many, 
many others, whose names we shall never know, but who 
suffered as bravely. 

' Be of good comfort. Master Ridley, and play the 
man,' said Latimer, as they were being led to be burned 
together. ' We shall this day light such a candle, by 
God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put 
out.' By this he meant that others, hearing of the 
brave manner in which they died, would take heart too, 
and fight as bravely for their faith and freedom. So 
instead of crushing out God's light and truth, Mary was 
making it shine as a light which every one might see. 

Mary was not happy. She could not help knowing 
that her cruel behaviour did harm rather than good to 



HOW A CANDLE WAS LIT IN ENGLAND 329 

the religion which she loved, yet she went on kilhng and 
torturing more fiercely than ever. 

Philip grew tired of England, where he was not 
allowed to rule, so he went back to his own country. 
This was a great sorrow to JNIary, for she loved her 
husband. Philip returned indeed once, but it was only 
to get money for a war with France. Very unwillingly 
the Parliament granted the money and help he asked, 
but the war ended sadly for Mary. Calais, which had 
belonged to the English for more than two hundred 
years, was lost. Mary grieved very much over this. 
' When I am dead,' she said, * you will find " Calais " 
graven on my heart.' In the same year, 1558 a.d., she 
died, wretched and unloved. 

She was succeeded by her sister, the Princess Eliza- 
beth, who was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, the second 
wife of Henry viii. 



CHAPTER LXIX 

ELIZABETH— HOW THE IMPRISONED PRINCESS 
BECAME A QUEEN 

' Then our streets were unpaved, our houses were thatched, sir. 
Our wmdows were latticed, our doors only latched, sir. 
Yet so few were the rogues that would plunder or rob, sir. 
That the hangman was starved for want of a job, sir. 
Oh, the golden days of good Queen Bess ! 

' Then our ladies with large ruffs tied under their neck fast 
Would gobble up a pound of beefsteaks for their breakfast ; 
With a close quilled-up coif, their noddles just did fit 
And were trussed up as tight as a rabbit on a spit ! 
Oh, the golden days of good Queen Bess ! 

'Then jerkin and doublet, and yellow worsted hose 
With a large pair of whiskers was the dress of our beaus. 
Strong beer they preferred to clarets and to hocks, 
No poultry they prized like the wing of an ox. 
Oh, the golden days of good Queen Bess ! 

* Good neighbourhood, too, there was plenty as beef. 
And the poor from the rich never wanted relief. 
While merry went the mill-clack, the shuttle, and the plough. 
And honest men could live by the sweat of their brow. 
Oh, the golden days of good Queen Bess ! 

' Then all great men were good and all good men were great. 
And the props of the nation were the pillars of the state. 
For the sovereign and the subject one interest supported. 
And our powerful alliance was by all other nations courted. 
Oh, the golden days of good Queen Bess ! ' 

830 



IMPRISONED PRINCESS BECAME QUEEN 331 

In the grounds of Hatfield the oak may still be seen 
under which Elizabeth was sitting when messengers 
came to tell her that Mary was dead and that she was 
Queen. 

The Princess listened, looking up through the bare 
branches to the dull November sky, then falling upon her 
knees, she exclaimed in Latin words, * It is the Lord's 
doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ! ' 

Afterwards Elizabeth put these words upon the gold 
coins which were used during her reign. Upon the silver 
coins she put another Latin sentence which means, 'I have 
chosen God for my helper.' 

As soon as Elizabeth knew that she was chosen to be 
Queen, she left Hatfield and went in state to the Tower 
of London, for, at that time, the Tower was used as a 
royal palace as well as a prison. But this time she did 
not go as a prisoner. This time she did not enter by 
the Traitors' Gate. She went as a Queen, free and 
happy, guarded indeed, but guarded with love and 
honour. 

As the Queen passed through the gates, she paused. 
* Some,' she said, ' have fallen from being Princes in this 
land to be prisoners in this place ; I am raised from 
being prisoner in this place to be Prince in this land. 
That was the work of God's justice ; this a work of His 
mercy. So must I be myself to God thankful, and to 
man mercifuh' 

There were great rejoicings when Elizabeth was 
crowned, bonfires blazed and joy-bells rang. Yet the 
land and the people were in a sad and miserable state, 
and it needed all Elizabeth's wisdom and the wisdom 
of the great men who surrounded her to bring back 
happiness and peace to the country. 

Elizabeth began her reign at a very difficult time. 



332 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The quarrels between the old and new religions and the 
cruelties of Mary had divided the people into two parties. 
Each party hoped that the new Queen would favour 
them. But Elizabeth did not mean to make any of her 
subjects suffer death because of what they felt it right 
to believe. During her reign people were neither tortured 
nor killed in the name of religion. 

Elizabeth was clever, but she liked to think that she 
was beautiful too. She loved fine clothes and she 
dressed in the most splendid silks and satins and jewels. 
Her courtiers told her that she was the most beautiful 
lady on earth. This was not true. Elizabeth was not 
really very beautiful, but she was vain and liked to 
hear people say that she was lovely. And her people 
loved her so much that very likely they really thought 
that she was beautiful. 

Whenever it was known that the Queen would pass 
through the streets, the people would gather to see her. 
They would stand for hours waiting until she came. 
When she at last appeared, they would wave their hats 
and shout, ' God save your Majesty ! God save your 
Majesty ! ' 

Then the Queen would stop and, looking round on 
them, would say, ' God bless you all, my good people.' 
The people would again cry, ' God save your Majesty ! ' 
and the Queen would smile and reply, 'You may well 
have a greater Prince, but you will never have a more 
loving Prince.' 

Then when she had gone again the people would go 
to their homes talking of what a splendid Queen she was, 
and of how they would die for ' Good Queen Bess,' as 
they loved to call her. 



CHAPTER LXX 

ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF A MOST UNHAPPY QUEEN 

At this time in Scotland as in England there ruled a 
Queen. These two Queens were cousins, for Margaret, 
the sister of Henry viii., had married James iv.. King 
of Scotland, and this Mary who was now Queen of 
Scotland was their granddaughter and Elizabeth's cousin. 

In spite of the fact that an English Princess had 
married a Scotch King, the two peoples continued to 
be enemies as they had always been, and Elizabeth of 
England did not love her cousin Mary of Scotland. 
She hated and feared her. 

Mary had been brought up in France, which is a 
Roman Catholic country, and she had married the 
French King. So she was Queen of France and 
Scotland. 

When Mary of England died, Mary of Scotland 
thought that she had a better right to the throne of 
England than Elizabeth, so she called herself Queen 
of Scotland, France, England and Ireland. 

Many people agreed with Mary, among them the 
Pope, who was angry with Elizabeth because she would 
not be ruled by him and would no longer punish the 
Protestants as her sister had done. So it was little 
wonder that Elizabeth hated and feared her cousin. The 
Protestants of England hated Mary of Scotland too. 



334 OUR ISLAND STORY 

They were afraid that if she became Queen of England, 
she would bring back the dreadful days of the English 
Mary. 

When Mary was only nineteen, her husband, the 
French King, died, and she left France where she had been 
living and returned to Scotland. As she sat upon the 
deck of the ship which took her to Scotland she wept 
bitterly. * Adieu, France, adieu,' she sobbed, *I shall 
never see you more.' 

Scotland seemed cold and dark to Mary after sunny 
France, and the people harsh and rough. Yet the Scotch 
loved their Queen and were eager to show her that they 
did so, and Mary wanted to be loved. But Mary and 
her people did not understand each other. Although she 
was clever and beautiful she was perhaps the most 
unhappy and most unwise Queen who ever sat upon a 
throne. 

In Scotland, as in England, many dreadful things 
happened because of the Reformation and change of 
religion. Mary was a Roman Catholic, while many of 
her people had turned to the new religion. There were 
other causes for quarrels, so there was sorrow and war, 
until at last the Scotch people imprisoned their beautiful 
Queen in a lonely castle, upon an island, in the middle of 
a loch. 

But although many people hated Mary, many loved 
her too, and these helped her to escape. One evening, a 
boy called the Little Douglas, who lived in the castle 
where she was imprisoned, stole the keys while the 
Governor was at supper. In the middle of the night he 
unlocked the door of Mary's room. Fearfully and silently 
she crept with him through the dark passages till they 
reached the great gate. Douglas unlocked it, and Mary 
passed out, holding her little frightened maid by the hand. 



STORY OF A MOST UNHAPPY QUEEN 335 

Douglas locked the gate behind them and led the way to 
the place where a boat was waiting for them. 

They were soon out on the dark water, getting farther 
and farther away from the castle. Half way to the shore. 
Little Douglas leaned over the side of the boat and 
dropped the great castle keys into the water. Mary's 
gaolers were prisoners in the castle, and she was free. 

On land some of Queen Mary's friends were waiting 
for her with horses, and she rode joyfully away. Soon 
more friends joined her, and a battle was fought near 
Glasgow. But Mary's soldiers were defeated, and she 
was obliged to flee. 

She did not know where to go. It would have been 
safest to go to France, but no ship was ready to take her 
there. So she crossed the border into England, and went 
to ask her cousin Elizabeth to take pity on her. 

EUzabeth had never seen her beautiful cousin, and she 
refused to see her now. She gave her a castle to live in, 
not as a royal guest, but as a prisoner. 

Mary had had to run away from Scotland so quickly 
that she had brought no clothes except those she wore. 
She wrote to tell Elizabeth this, but although Elizabeth 
had hundreds of beautiful dresses, she only sent some old 
clothes quite unfit for a queen to wear. Poor Mary 
would have been badly off, but her enemies were kinder 
than her cousin, and sent her dresses and clothes from 
Scotland. 

When Queen Mary found that Elizabeth meant to 
treat her as a prisoner and not as a friend, she begged to 
be allowed to go away to some other country. But 
Elizabeth would not set her free. She feared if she did, 
Mary would go to the Kings of France or Spain and 
ask them to make war on England. Slie felt it was safest 
to keep her great enemy in prison. 



336 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Mary was so beautiful that she had many friends, and 
they were very angry with EHzabeth. Plot after plot 
to free Mary was formed. But all plots failed. For 
nineteen years this poor Queen was kept in prison. She 
was moved from castle to castle, for it seemed as if no place 
was strong and safe enough to keep her from her friends. 
At last she was shut up in a castle called Fotheringay. 

When Mary had been in prison about nineteen years, 
a plot to kill Elizabeth and put Mary on the throne 
was discovered. Then the English Parliament persuaded 
Elizabeth that Mary must be put to death. 

Elizabeth either really felt, or pretended to feel, very 
unwilling to give her consent to this. But in the end she 
signed a paper ordering Mary's head to be cut off. 

A few days later the beautiful Queen, who had been 
so unhappy and who had caused so much unhappiness, 
walked into the great hall at Fotheringay. In one hand 
she carried a Bible, in the other a crucifix. The hall 
was hung with black ; at one end was a low scaffold, also 
covered with black. 

Nineteen years before Mary had come to England, 
young and beautiful, and, although she was not yet old, 
the long years in prison had made her look like an old 
woman. She could only walk with difficulty, and when 
she laid her head upon the block, it was seen that her hair 
was white. 

Mary's servants cried bitterly when she said good-bye 
to them, although she comforted them by saying that, to 
her, death was a happy release out of prison. Her little 
dog would not leave her even after she was dead, but 
crept close to her dress, whining sadly, as the Dean of 
Peterborough cried, ' So perish all Elizabeth's enemies.' 

When Elizabeth was told that Mary was dead she was 
very angry. She said that although she had signed the 




*THE LONG WEARY YEARS OP PRISON LIFE MADE MARY LOOK OLfi' 



STORY OF A MOST UNHAPPY QUEEN 337 

death warrant, as the paper was called, she had not meant 
that Mary should be killed. It is difficult to know what 
Elizabeth did mean, for she was deceitful as well as clever. 
But whether she meant it or not, Elizabeth had no 
right to behead Mary. 

Mary's son, James, who was now the King of Scotland, 
was very angry with Elizabeth for the manner in which 
she had treated his mother, but he had neither money nor 
soldiers enough with which to fight against England, so 
he did nothing. 



CHAPTER LXXI 

ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF HOW ENGLAND WAS SAVED 
FROM THE SPANIARDS 

Philip, King of Spain, who had been married to Mary i., 
wanted, after her death, to marry her sister Elizabeth who 
was now Queen of England. But Elizabeth would not 
marry him, and that made him very angry. Philip hated 
the English people and the Protestant religion, and he 
made up his mind to conquer England and punish 
Elizabeth. He gathered together a great number of 
soldiers and sailors and guns and ships, and made ready 
to invade England. 

Among the many famous Englishmen of this time was 
a man called Drake. He had sailed in far-off seas to 
newly-discovered countries, and was very bold and daring. 
While Philip was busy making ready to invade England, 
Drake sailed over to Spain, and boldly entered the 
harbour where the Spanish vessels lay. He sank and 
burned thirty or more of them, damaged others, and then 
sailed away again. * This,' he said with a laugh, * was just 
singeing the King of Spain's beard.' 

King Philip was very angry, but he at once set to work 
to repair his ships and to build others, and next year was 
ready to attack England. 

In May 1588 a.d., one hundred and twenty-nine great 
ships sailed out from Spain but, hindered by a storm, it 



ENGLAND SAVED FROM SPANIARDS 339 

was many weeks later before they came in sight of the 
English coast. 

These Spanish ships with their gilded prows and white 
sails shining in the smi made a splendid show as they 
sailed along in the shape of a crescent seven miles long. 
King Philip called his fleet the Invincible Armada. 
Invincible means, ' which cannot be conquered ' ; Armada 
is a Spanish word meaning ' navy.' 

Once again, as in the days of the Romans and as in 
the days of the Danes, the little green island in the lonely 
sea was threatened with conquerors coming in great 
ships. 

The people of England had been slow to believe that 
there was any danger from Spain, and the Queen was un- 
willing to make preparations. But when at last they saw 
that the Spaniards meant to come, the country rose like 
one man. Roman Catholics and Protestants forgot their 
quarrels, and remembering only that they were English- 
men, worked together against the common enemy. 

The English navy at this time was very small, but 
gentlemen and merchants gave money and ships, and 
soon it was almost as large as the Spanish navy, although 
the ships were smaller. 

Besides these ships and sailors, a great army gathered 
on land in order to resist Philip, should he succeed in 
reaching England, in spite of the ' wooden walls ' as the 
English war vessels came to be called. 

Men young and old flocked to the standard. Very 
few were real soldiers, but all of them were eager to fight 
for their Queen and for their country. Elizabeth 
herself reviewed the army and spoke such brave words 
that the hopes of the men who heard her rose high. ' I 
am come among you,' she said, 'not for pleasure nor to 
amuse myself. I am come to live or die with you in 



340 OUR ISLAND STORY 

battle ; to lay down my honour and my life for my God, 
for my country and for my people. I know that I have 
but the body of a poor, weak woman, but I have the 
heart of a King, and of an English King. I think foul 
scorn that any Spanish Prince, or any Prince in Europe, 
should dare to invade my kingdom. Rather than be so 
dishonoured I myself will take up arms. Myself will be 
your general and the judge and rewarder of every one of 
you for your deeds in the field of battle.' 

So eagerly did the people work that England was 
ready before Spain, and Lord Howard, the chief admiral, 
sailed out to meet the enemy. But week after week 
passed, and as still the Spaniards did not come, he 
returned to Plymouth with his ships. 

Elizabeth was not fond of spending money. She 
thought that it was dreadful waste to keep all these soldiers 
and sailors and ships waiting for an enemy who never 
came, and she told Lord Howard to pay off his men, and 
send them to their homes. But Lord Howard refused 
to obey, and he with his captains and his men held their 
ships in readiness at Plymouth. Day by day they kept 
watch, looking always anxiously out to sea, and spending 
the long, weary hours as best they could. 

At last, one sunny day in July, when Drake and some 
of the other sea captains were playing at bowls, they 
were interrupted by a cry, * The Spaniards ! the Spaniards! 
The game was stopped, all eyes were turned towards the 
Channel. Yes, there at last, far out to sea, the proud 
Spanish vessels were to be seen. They were distant yet, 
but a sailor's eye could see that they were mighty and 
great ships, and the number of them was very large. But 
the brave English captains were not afraid. 

* Come,' said Drake, after a few minutes, ' there is time 
to finish the game and to beat the Spaniards too.' 



ENGLAND SAVED FROM SPANIARDS 341 

So they went back to their play, and when the game 
was finished they went down to the harbour, got the 
ships ready, and sailed out to meet and fight the 
Spaniards. 

For more than a week the battle lasted, the English 
always having the best of it. Their ships were smaller, 
but for that very reason they could be moved and turned 
about more easily than the great painted and gilded 
Spanish vessels. 

The wind, too, was in favour of the English and against 
the Spaniards. In those days, before steam-engines and 
steamers had been invented, when ships were still moved 
by sails, the wind was of great importance. 

Day by day the wind grew fiercer, the waves became 
white and wild, till the Spanish ships were driven north- 
ward by a terrible storm. Without pilots, through 
unknown seas, past strange islands they were driven. 
Shattered on unfriendly rocks, refused the shelter of every 
port, up to the north of Scotland and back round the 
west coast of Ireland they sped. At last, ruined by shot 
and shell, torn and battered by wind and waves, about 
fifty maimed and broken wrecks, all that were left of the 
Invincible Armada, reached Spain. Once again England 
was saved. 

How the people rejoiced ! Bells rang, bonfires blazed, 
and every heart was filled with thankfulness. In memory 
of tiie victory, the Queen ordered a medal to be made, 
and on it, in Latin, were the words, ' God blew with his 
breath, and they were scattered.' 

Although Philip had lost nearly all his ships, he did not 
consider that he was beaten, and the war went on until 
the death of Elizabeth. But the English people no longer 
feared the Spaniards. 



CHAPTER LXXII 

ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH 

The reign of Queen Elizabeth was great, not only 
because she was a wise ruler, but because she was sur- 
rounded by so many wise, and great, and good men. One 
of these wise men. Sir William Cecil, afterwards called 
Lord Burleigh, was her secretary of state and her chief 
adviser during nearly all her reign, until he died in 
1598 A.D. 

There were so many great men in England at this time 
that you could not remember all their names, and to tell 
stories about them all would fill a whole book. In the 
reign of Elizabeth it is not only the men who were soldiers 
that we remember as great, but the men who wrote 
books, the men who sailed over the sea and discovered 
new countries, and the men who by careful thinking and 
wise acts kept peace at home. 

Sir Walter Raleigh was one of the great men who lived 
at this time. He was a soldier and a sailor, a courtier, and 
a writer of books. But clever though he was, until the 
great Queen noticed him, he remained only a simple 
country gentleman. 

One day Elizabeth was passing along the streets, and 
the people as usual came crowding to see her. Among 
them was Sir Walter Raleigh. The Queen stepped from 
her coach and, followed by her ladies, was about to cross 



THE STORY OF WALTER RALEIGH 343 

the road. But in those days the streets were very badly 
kept, and Elizabeth stopped before a puddle of mud. 
She was grandly dressed, and how to cross the muddy 
road, without soiling her dainty shoes and skirts, she did 
not know. As she paused Sir Walter sprang forward. 
He, too, was finely dressed and he was wearing a 
beautiful new cloak. This he quickly pulled off, and 
bowing low, threw upon the ground before the Queen. 

Elizabeth was very pleased and, as she passed on, she 
smiled at the handsome young man who had ruined his 
beautiful cloak to save her dainty shoes, and ordered him 
to attend her at court. Raleigh's fortune was made. 
He went to court, and soon became so great a favourite 
that at one time he even thought that he might marry 
the Queen. 

* Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall,' he one 
day wrote with a diamond upon a window. And the 
Queen, seeing it, wrote underneath, 'If thy heart fail thee, 
climb then not at all.' So Raleigh climbed, and although 
he never reached the throne, he climbed high. 

Elizabeth gave him money and lands till he became 
very rich. He wanted to sail away over the sea in search 
of new countries and treasure, as Drake had done. But 
the Queen would not let him go. 

As Raleigh could not go himself, he spent a great 
deal of his money in buying ships and sending other men 
over the sea to find new lands. These men sailed to 
America, which was then wild and unknown. Landing 
there, they claimed it for England, and Raleigh named it 
Virginia in honour of Elizabeth. She liked to call herself 
the Virgin Queen, which means, ' the Queen who has 
never married.' One of the United States of America is 
still called Virginia. 

For a long time Elizabeth was very pleased with 



344 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Raleigh, but at last she became angry with him, and sent 
him to prison in the dreadful Tower. The reason for 
this was that Sir Walter had dared to love and marry 
another lady, one of the Queen's own maids of honour. 
Elizabeth was always very angry if any of the gentlemen 
of her court married. Many of them wished to marry 
her, but she refused them all. Still she wished them to 
think that she was the cleverest and most beautiful 
woman in all the world ; she wished them all to love and 
admire her so much that they would never think of 
marrying any other lady. And when they did marry 
another, she was always very angry. 

Sir Walter, happily, was not kept in prison for very 
long, and some years later he really did have his wish, 
and sailed away to explore America. He did not find 
the golden land which he had imagined, but he brought 
home many strange stories, and many curious and useful 
things. 

Two of the things were tobacco and potatoes which 
Raleigh brought home with him. Elizabeth had given 
him estates in Ireland, and there he planted the potatoes, 
and showed the people how to grow them. Even to this 
day the poor people in Ireland grow many potatoes, and 
live on them very largely. 

People were pleased with the new vegetable, but they 
were very much astonished when he showed them how 
to use tobacco. Such a thing had never been seen before, 
and it took people some time to grow accustomed to it. 

One day, soon after Raleigh had returned home, he 
was sitting smoking when a servant came into the room. 
The man stood still in horror. Smoke filled the room, 
and was pouring out of his master's mouth. He must be 
on fire, thought the servant. Without saying a word he 
ran away and returned as quickly as he could with a pail 




QUICKLY PULLING OFF HIS CLOAK BB THREW IT UPON THE GROUND' 



THE STORY OF WALTER RALEIGH 345 

of water. This he threw over his master, hoping to put 
out the fire and so save his life. 

Raleigh, you may imagine, was not very pleased at 
finding himself suddenly drenched with cold water, just 
when he was enjoying a quiet smoke, but, when he under- 
stood the mistake his servant had made, he laughed 
heartily. 

Raleigh had many adventures. He swept the ocean 
in his ships, and he fought by land and sea. But he 
wrote books too, and one of his friends was the poet 
Spenser, who tells beautiful stories in his poem called 
The Faerie Queen. 

The greatest writer of this time (perhaps the greatest 
poet of any time), was Shakespeare. His name you 
know, and some day you will read the stories he wrote. 

Another writer, and great soldier too, was Sir Philip 
Sidney. He was so handsome, and brave and kind that 
every one loved him. Queen, statesmen and people, 
soldiers, courtiers and poets, all loved him. He lived 
well, wrote well, fought well, and died well. He fell 
fighting for his country. Wounded and groaning with 
pain, he asked for a cup of water. While it was being 
brought, he noticed a soldier lying beside him in great 
agony. ' Give it to him,' he said, pointing to this poor 
soldier. The man refused to have it. *Nay, but take 
it,' said Sir Philip, ' you need it more than I do.' 

Sir Philip never recovered from his wound. A fort- 
night later he died ; still young, brave, and handsome. 



CHAPTER LXXIII 

ELIZABETH— THE STORY OF THE QUEEN'S FAVOURITE 

Another brave and handsome man, who was a great 
favourite with the Queen, was the Earl of Essex. He 
was so handsome and graceful that the Queen liked to 
have him always near her, although she quarrelled with 
him very often. 

Essex loved fighting more than attending upon the 
Queen, and twice when there was war he ran away with- 
out leave. Elizabeth was angry, but Essex did great 
deeds and helped to make the name of England famous, 
so she forgave him. Later she made him commander of 
an expedition which, however, was not very successful. 
Again they quarrelled. 

One day the Queen and her councillors were talking 
about who should govern Ireland. Elizabeth wanted one 
man, Essex another. He grew so angry because she 
would not take his advice, that he turned his back upon 
her. This was a very rude thing to do, for one must 
never turn one's back to a king or queen, but must even 
walk out of the room backwards when leaving their 
presence. 

Elizabeth was furious, and, springing up, she boxed 
the Earl's ears. 

Essex had been angry before, now he was in a terrible 
rage. Forgetting that a man must never fight with a 
woman, he laid his hand upon his sword. Then a gentle- 



STORY OF THE QUEEN'S FAVOURITE 347 

man who was there threw himself between the angry 
Queen and Earl, trying to calm them both. 

But Essex would not be calmed. * I will take a blow 
from no one,' he cried. ' I would not have endured it 
from her father. King Henry. I will not take it from a 
king in petticoats.' And, swearing dreadfully, he flung 
himself out of the room, refusing to return. 

For some time the advisers of the Queen, and the 
friends of the Earl, tried to make peace between them, 
but in vain. Essex would not apologise, the Queen 
Avould not say that she was sorry. But in the end the 
Queen forgave Essex, and he came back to court. 

As they had quarrelled over who should be sent to 
govern Ireland, Elizabeth decided to send Essex himself. 
This was not at all what Essex wanted. It was a very 
difficult post, and he did not wish to accept it, but he was 
obliged to do so. 

He went to Ireland, but he did not succeed in ruling 
as the Queen would have liked. She wrote bitter, angry 
letters to him, and he replied with letters as bitter and 
angry as hers. 

At last Essex decided to come back to England to 
see the Queen, and try to make friends with her again. 
Elizabeth forbade him, but in spite of her orders, he 
came. 

Early one morning he arrived in London, dusty, 
dirty, and untidy from his long journey. He was in such 
haste to see the Queen that he did not stop to make him- 
self fit to appear at court. Dusty and untidy as he was, 
he rushed straight to the palace. It was so early that the 
Queen was not up. Hearing that, Essex ran to her room, 
without even waiting till some one had told her that he 
had arrived. 

The Queen was sitting in her room with her hair 



348 OUR ISLAND STORY 

hanging down, waiting for her ladies to dress her, when 
Essex rushed in and, flinging himself on his knees beside 
her, kissed her hand again and again. The Queen was so 
surprised to see Essex, and so sorry when she saw how 
miserable he looked, that she spoke gently to him and 
comforted him. So presently he rose from his knees, 
and went away feeling that he was forgiven. 

But it was only surprise which had made the Queen 
kind to Essex. Later in the day she received him very 
coldly. Later still she sent him to prison. 

For some time Essex was kept a prisoner, then he was 
set free, but he could not again win the Queen's favour. 
Her unkindness hurt him so much, that he grew more and 
more unhappy, and more and more angry. He began to 
say unkind things about the Queen, calling her a foolish 
old woman who was growing crooked in mind and body. 

It was quite true that Elizabeth was growing old and, 
being as vain as ever, she liked to think that she was still 
young and pretty. She covered her grey hair with a wig 
and painted her face ; she sang and danced although she 
was nearly seventy years old. But it was wrong and 
foolish of Essex to speak as he did, and people were not 
slow to carry his words to the Queen. 

At last Essex grew so angry, that he tried to raise a 
rebellion against Elizabeth. The rebellion failed, and 
Essex and those who had helped him were sent to the 
Tower. 

In spite of all their quarrels Elizabeth really loved 
Essex. Now she felt it very hard to condemn him to 
death. Still she did. 

Long before this Elizabeth had one day given Essex 
a ring telling him, that if ever she should be angry with 
him, she would forgive him, if he sent this ring back to 
her. 



STORY OF THE QUEEN'S FAVOURITE 349 

When Essex heard that he was to die he remembered 
this promise, and he made up his mind to send the ring 
to Ehzabeth, hoping that she would pardon him. But he 
did not know how to send it. He was afraid to give it 
to any of the Queen's courtiers, for he knew that many of 
them were his enemies. They were only too glad that 
he should be in disgrace, and would never deliver the ring 
to the Queen. 

At length one day, as he looked sadly from his prison 
window, he saw a boy passing. The boy had a pleasant, 
honest face, and Essex felt sure that he might be trusted. 
He called to him and, throwing the ring down, told him 
to take it to his cousin, who was a kind lady and loved 
him. ' Tell the lady,' he said, * to show this ring to the 
Queen, and all will be well.' 

The boy took the ring, promising to do as he was 
asked. Then Essex threw down a purse full of gold, as 
a reward for his kindness, and the boy went away very 
pleased. 

But by mistake he gave the ring to the wrong lady. 
Instead of giving it to the cousin of Essex, who loved 
him, he gave it to another lady, who hated him. This 
lady showed the ring to her husband, and as he, too, 
hated Essex, they resolved to keep the ring and say 
nothing about it. So Elizabeth never knew that Essex 
had sent it. 

She, too, had remembered her promise, and hoped that 
Essex would send the ring. She waited and waited, but 
day after day went past, and it never came. At last, 
thinking that he was too proud to ask forgiveness, she 
ordered his head to be cut off. So proud and foolish 
Essex died, believing his Queen was still angry with him. 

Elizabeth was growing old ; many of her friends had 
died and left her, and after the death of Essex she was 



350 OUR ISLAND STORY 

often very sad. The people too, who had loved Essex, 
were angry with her for having put him to death, and 
that made her more sad still. 

When the lady who had kept back the ring was about 
to die she felt very sorry for what she had done. She 
could not find peace until she had confessed to the 
Queen, and asked her forgiveness. She sent a message to 
the Queen, begging her to come to her. Elizabeth came, 
but when she heard the story, instead of forgiving the 
poor dying lady, she shook her fiercely, saying, * God may 
forgive you, I never can.' 

At last Elizabeth herself grew very ill, but she would 
not go to bed. She sat day and night upon cushions on 
the floor, doing nothing but staring before her, with her 
finger in her mouth. 

Then Sir Robert Cecil, the son of the great Lord 
Burleigh, who had been so wise and faithful a friend to 
Elizabeth, said, * For the sake of your people, madam, 
you must go to bed.' 

' Must ! ' exclaimed the Queen, ' ** must " is not a word 
to use to princes. Little man, little man, your father would 
not have dared to use that word. But you know I must 
die, and that makes you so bold.' 

But at last she allowed herself to be carried to bed. 
Some of her lords, knowing that she had not long to 
live, asked whom she wished to reign after her. * I will 
have no rascal's son in my seat,' she said, and would say 
no more. 

Later they asked again, 'Do you desire your cousin, 
the King of Scotland, to have the crown ? ' 

The Queen only moved her head, but it seemed to 
those around that she meant to say, 'Yes.' She never 
spoke again. 

On March 24, 1603 a.d., this great queen died, having 



STORY OF THE QUEEN S FAVOURITE 351 

reigned forty-five years. She had loved her country and 
her people, and her people loved her and wept for her at 
her death. No ruler had ever before been so mourned. 

She was the last of the Tudor sovereigns, and with 
her successor, James, a new race of kings, called the 
Stuarts, began to reign in England. 



CHAPTER LXXIV 

JAMES VI. OF SCOTLAND, I. OF ENGLAND— THE STORY 
OF GUY FAWKES 

For hundreds of years the kings of England had tried to 
conquer Scotland, and make Scotland and England one 
kingdom under one king. Many dreadful battles had 
been fought, many brave people had been killed. The 
Scotch had lost many battles, but they had never been 
conquered, and at last the kings of England had almost 
given up hope of ever being able to conquer them. But 
now, what they had longed for, and fought for in vain, 
happened quite quietly and naturally, although not at 
all in the way that they had expected. Instead of an 
English King conquering and ruling over Scotland, a 
Scottish King came to rule over England. 

Elizabeth Tudor, Queen of England, being dead, 
James Stuart, King of Scotland, was the rightful heir 
to the throne. 

James vi. of Scotland was the son of the beautiful 
and unhappy Mary, Queen of Scots; was descended 
from Margaret Tudor, the sister of Henry viii., and 
was Elizabeth's nearest relative. At the Queen's death 
there was no man nor woman left in England who 
had any right to the throne, so the English sent to 
Scotland and asked the Scottish King to come to be 
their King too. 

352 



THE STORY OF GUY FAWKES 353 

He came, and since 1603 a.d., England and Scotland 
have formed one kingdom with Wales and Ireland. 

So now we will talk no longer of England but of 
Britain, for long ago the old hatred has been forgotten, 
and we are all Britons. 

James had been King of Scotland for many years 
before he became King of England too. He was a very 
little boy when he was first made King, and Scotland 
had been ruled by a Kegent. James had been carefully 
taught, but unfortunately his teachers had thought more 
of making him clever, than of teaching him things which 
would have made him a great ruler. Some people called 
him the ' British Solomon,' but because he was such a 
mixture of wisdom and foolishness he has also been 
called the ' Wisest fool in Christendom.' 

Although his mother, Queen Mary, was a Roman 
Catholic, James had been brought up a Protestant. 
The English Roman Catholics thought however that, 
in memory of his mother, James would be kinder to 
them than EMzabeth had been. Elizabeth had not 
burned and tortured the Roman Catholics as her sister 
Mary had burned and tortured the Protestants, still 
they were not quite kindly treated. They had not 
equal rights with the Protestants, and were sometimes 
looked down upon. 

The Roman Catholics soon found out that James had 
no intention of being kind to them, and they became 
very angry. So angry did they become that they 
formed a plot to kill the King and all the chief Pro- 
testants in the country. Having done this, they in- 
tended to place James's little daughter, Elizabeth, upon 
the throne, and make Britain a Roman Catholic country 
once more. 

Princess Elizabeth was, of course, being brought up 

z 



354 OUR ISLAND STORY 

as a Protestant, but she was such a httle girl that the 
Catholics knew she would only be a make-believe queen. 
Until she grew up, the country would really be ruled 
by the Catholic gentlemen, and meantime they would 
have time, they thought, to teach her to be a Roman 
Catholic. 

The first thing to be done was to kill the King and 
all the chief Protestant gentlemen. To do this the 
conspirators, as the people who form a plot are called, 
thought of a very dreadful plan. They decided to wait 
until Parliament was sitting, until the King and all his 
wise men were gathered together in one place, and then 
they would blow them up with gunpowder. 

Underneath the Houses of Parliament there were 
cellars. These cellars were let to merchants and other 
people who wished to store goods. It was quite easy for 
the conspirators to rent one of these cellars, and into it 
they carried thirty-six barrels of gunpowder. 

Besides the gunpowder, sticks and firewood were 
piled into the cellars by the conspirators. This was done 
partly to hide the barrels, and partly, no doubt, to help 
to burn the Houses of Parliament when they were set 
on fire. Nobody paid much attention to the barrels as 
they were being taken in, and nobody thought of asking 
with what they were filled. 

For a year and a half the plot went on. Very few 
people knew of it, and those who did were bound by 
an oath never to speak of it. Tiiey met secretly at night, 
speaking only in mysterious whispers. 

At last everything was ready. Guy Fawkes, one of 
the most fearless of the band, was chosen for the most 
difficult and dangerous part. He was to set fire to 
the gunpowder. Having done so, he meant to try to 
escape, but if he could not, he was quite ready to die 



THE STORY OF GUY FAWKES 355 

in what he thought was a good cause. The day was 
fixed for the 5th of November, when Parhament would 
be opened. 

A gentleman, called Francis Tresham, had joined the 
plot. He had a friend, a Roman CathoUc nobleman, 
who was sure to be among the lords who would attend 
this Parliament. 

Tresham could not bear to think of his friend being 
killed, so he wrote a letter to him in a disguised hand, 
warning him not to go to this Parliament. ' My lord,' 
said the letter, ' out of the love I bear to some of your 
friends, I have a care for your life. Therefore, I advise 
you, if you love your life, to make some excuse so that 
you need not go to this Parliament. God and man are 
agreed to punish the wickedness of this time. Do not 
think lightly of this warning, but go away into the 
country where you may be safe. For, although there 
is no sign of any stir, yet, I say, they shall receive a 
terrible blow this Parliament, and yet they shall not 
see who hurts them.' 

Tresham's friend was very much disturbed by this 
letter. He took it to Lord Salisbury, who took it to 
the King. 

The King, who was afterwards very proud of his 
cleverness, said that the terrible blow which was to 
be given, without the person being seen, must mean 
'gunpowder.' It was clever of the King to think of 
this, but some people say that Salisbury had already 
found out about the plot, and perhaps he put the idea of 
gunpowder into the King's head. 

About midnight, on the 4th of November, the day 
before Parliament was to meet, the cellars under the 
Houses were searched. With hushed voices, drawn 
swords, and dim lanterns, the searchers moved from 



356 OUR ISLAND STORY 

cellar to cellar. All seemed empty silent and dark, 
till in a far corner, a faint light was seen, and near it the 
dark figure and pale face of Guy Fawkes. 

In a moment they were upon him. He tried to 
defend himself, but it was useless. Stern men with 
drawn swords closed in upon him, and he was soon 
a prisoner. 

He could not deny his guilt. Round him were the 
barrels ; in his pockets were those things which he needed 
to set fire to the gunpowder. He knew he must die. 
* Oh, would I had been quicker,' he said, * would I had 
set fire to the powder. Death would have been sweet 
had some of my enemies gone with me.' 

Guy Fawkes was taken to the Tower. In the cruel 
manner of those days he was tortured to make him tell 
the names of the others who were with him in the plot. 
But Guy Fawkes was very brave, although he was wrong, 
and he would not tell. 

The others, seeing that part of their plot had failed, 
hoped still to succeed in gaining possession of the 
Princess Elizabeth. So they hastily rode to the country 
house where she was living. 

But part of the gunpowder which they took with 
them was set on fire and exploded by accident. It hurt 
some, and frightened all of them, for they thought that 
it was a punishment sent upon them because of what 
they had intended to do to others. 

The Roman Catholics in the country did not rise to 
help the conspirators as they had expected, and soon all 
hope of success was lost. The chief of the conspirators 
were seized, and were put to death, along with Guy 
Fawkes. 

After this the Protestants hated the Roman Catholics 
more than ever, and their lives were made very hard. 




'stern men with drawn swords closed in upon HIM' 



THE STORY OF GUY FAWKES 357 

There was great rejoicing at the discovery of the plot. 
Bells rang, and bonfires blazed, and even now, after three 
hundred years, the day is not forgotten. On the 5th of 
November people still have fireworks, and bonfires on 
which they burn a figure made of straw and old clothes, 
which is meant to represent Guy Fawkes. 



CHAPTER LXXV 

JAMES VI. OF SCOTLAND, I. OF ENGLAND— THE STORY 
OF THE 'MAYFLOWER' 

When Henry viii. broke away from the Church of Rome 
he did not make much change in the services or in the 
ruUng of the Church. He merely said that the Pope had 
nothing to do with the Church in England, and he com- 
manded the services to be read in English, instead of 
Latin. But by degrees many Protestants began to think 
that the Church of England was too like the Church of 
Rome. They wanted to have no prayer book at all. 
They wanted to have very simple services and very simple 
churches. These people were called Puritans. They 
were very stern and grave, but many of the best and 
bravest men in England joined them. 

At this time men did not wear plain, dark clothes as 
they do now. They wore bright colours and their clothes 
were often made of silk and velvet, and trimmed with lace. 
They wore their hair long and curly, and they had 
feathers in their hats. But the Puritans thought this 
gay dress was wicked. They cut their hair short and 
wore dark clothes and plain linen collars, instead of lace 
and feathers and gay-coloured silks and satins. They 
even spoke in a slow and sad tone of voice, using curious 
and long words, and they very seldom laughed. 

The Puritans felt that in England they could not 



THE STORY OF THE 'MAYFLOWER' 359 

worship God in what seemed to them the ri^ht way. So, 
although they loved their country, they resolved to leave 
it, and sail away over the sea to the new lands which 
had been discovered. There they would found a New 
England where they could be free. 

The first of these Puritans who left England were 
called the Pilgrim Fathers. The ship they sailed in was 
called the Mayflower. There were only one hundred of 
them — men, women, and children. 

Before they started there were many sad partings. 
All left dear friends behind ; some said good-bye for ever 
to fathers and mothers ; some left their wives and little 
children, hoping one day to be able to send for them, 
when they had made a new home, far over the sea. But 
sad as they were, their hearts were full of hope, and in 
spite of tears they sang hymns. 

They started in the summer, but they had so many 
delays and misfortunes that it was winter before they 
reached America. They did not come to the part of 
America to which they had expected to come, but reached 
land much further north, where the winter was very cold — 
far colder than the English winter. 

As the little Mayflower drew near, the shore of their 
new home looked very dark and dreary to those Pilgrim 
Fathers. There were no people to greet them on the 
beach, no houses with twinkling lights by night and 
cheerful smoke by day. There was nothing but the 
rough, rocky shore, and beyond it, a mass of bare, brown 
trees. There was no sound but the roar of the waves, 
the call of sea-birds, and the cry of wild animals. 

The little band of pilgrims felt very lonely when they 
landed in this strange country, hundreds and hundreds of 
miles from any white people. Dark woods and wilderness 
lay in front, behind the cold grey sea separating them from 



360 OUR ISLAND STORY 

all their loved ones ; and round them, day and night, the 
fear of attack from the wild Red Indians who inhabited 
the land. 

But in spite of dangers and hardships they did not 
lose heart. Soon the noise of axe and saw was heard in 
the forest as the Pilgrim Fathers felled trees and cut them 
into planks with which to build their houses. Through 
cold and wind and rain they worked, and a little town 
of wooden houses rose round the little wooden meeting- 
house, as they called their church. 

The building went on slowly, for all the Pilgrim 
Fathers could not work at once. Some of them had to 
keep watch in case of attack from the Red Indians, while 
the remainder built the houses and laid out the gardens. 

The little band struggled bravely. They were often 
cold and hungry, weary and afraid, still they did not give 
up hope. They had very little to eat. Sometimes they 
did not even know at night if they would have anything 
for breakfast in the morning. Once an eagle was shot, 
and they thought it was a great treat. It tasted some- 
thing like mutton. Once a sailor found a herring on 
the shore. As it was only enough for one, the captain 
had it for supper. But many of the pilgrims, unused to 
such hardships, died during the winter. 

At last the dark days passed, and with the sunshine of 
the spring came brighter times. And with the spring the 
Mayjiower^ which had lain in the bay all winter, sailed 
back to England. 

With sad hearts the pilgrims saw it go. It was the 
last link which bound them to their old home. Yet in 
spite of the longing in their hearts for the green fields and 
white cliffs of England, in spite of all the hardships they 
had suffered, not one pilgrim returned home with the 
31ay^flower. They knelt upon the shore, watching with 



THE STORY OF THE 'MAYFLOWER' 361 

tear-dimmed eyes till the last glimmer of its white sails 
died away in the distance, then they turned back to 
their work. But for many days after, the bay seemed 
sad and empty, with no little Mayflower riding at anchor 
in it. 

The Pilgrim Fathers named their town Plymouth, 
after the town in England from which they had sailed. 
From these few settlers the great American nation has 
grown, and although America is no longer a British 
colony, but a separate nation, it is a nation which has 
grown out of the British nation. 

If you look at the map of America you will see 
Plymouth marked in the State of Massachusetts. In 
that town there is a hall called Pilgrim Hall, and in front 
of it stands a rock which is railed round and carefully 
preserved. It is the rock which the feet of the Pilgrim 
Fathers first touched when they landed to found New 
England. The people of America are proud to remember 
that they are descended from those stern, brave men and 
women, so they guard the stone as something precious, 
and the 22nd of December, the day on which the Pilgrim 
Fathers landed, is called Forefathers' Day and is kept as a 
holiday. 

The breaking waves dashed high on a stern and rockbound coast, 
And the winds against the stormy sky their giant branches tossed. 

And the heavy night hung dark, the hills and water o'er; 
When a band of exiles moor'd their bark on the wild New England 
shore. 

Not as the conqueror comes, they the true-hearted came ; 

Not with the roll of stirring drums and the trumpet that sings of fame. 

Not as the flying come, in silence and in fear ; 

They shook the depths of the desert gloom with their hymns of lofty 
cheer. 



362 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Amidst the storm they sang, and the stars heard and the sea, 
And the sounding aisles of the dim wood rang to the anthem of the 
free. 

The ocean eagle soared from his nest by the white waves' foam. 

And the rocking pines of the forest roar'd, this was their welcome home. 

There were men with hoary hair amidst that pilgrim band : 

Why had they come to wither there, away from their childhood's land ? 

There was woman's fearless eye, lit by her deep love's truth, 

There was manhood's brow serenely high, and the fiery heart of youth. 

What sought they thus afar? bright jewels of the mine? 

The wealth of seas ? the spoils of war ? no — 'twas a faith's pure shrine. 

Yes, call it holy ground, which first their brave feet trod ! 
They have left unstain'd what there they found, freedom to worship 
God! 




ho 

a 
Z 



CHAPTER LXXVI 

CHARLES I.— HOW A WOMAN STRUCK A BLOW 
FOR FREEDOM 

Like Queen Elizabeth, King James had favourites. But 
unfortunately the favourites he chose were not good and 
wise men who helped him to govern well, but men who 
although clever were bad, and who thought only of them- 
selves. Some of these men liked money and fine clothes, 
and James spent so much on them that he was always 
poor and in debt, and this led him into quarrels with 
the people and Parliament. 

The Tudors had been a very autocratic race of kings. 
Autocratic is a word made from Greek words and means 
that the Tudors wanted to rule quite by themselves 
without help or advice from any one. During the time of 
the Tudors, especially in the reigns of Henry viii. and 
Elizabeth, the power of Parliament had been much 
lessened. James tried to lessen it still more. 

James knew how autocratic Elizabeth had been, and 
he meant to be the same. But Elizabeth, although she 
had her own way in many things, knew when to yield 
and let the people have their way. James did not know 
how to yield. He wanted to be a despot which is another 
word taken from Greek and really means ' master,' but has 
come to mean ' cruel master.' ' The King can do no 
wrong,' said James. ' What he does must be right and 
the people must obey and ask no questions.' 

King James wrote several books, and in one of them 



364 OUR ISLAND STORY 

he set down his ideas about the power of a king. But 
the people did not agree with these ideas. They thought 
many of the things which the King did were wrong. 
As they would not do everything he wished them to do, 
James dismissed Parliament and ruled for many years 
without calling another. 

When James died, in 1625 a.d., no one was very sorry. 
He had reigned for fifty-eight years — thirty-six years as 
King of Scotland and twenty-two as King of Great Britain 
and Ireland, and his people, English, Scotch, and Irish, 
were discontented with his rule. Yet in spite of all he had 
tried to do, the people were really nearer freedom than 
before, for they had shown that they would not quietly 
submit to the rule of a despot. 

James was succeeded by his son Charles. He had 
been taught by his father to believe that the King could 
do no wrong, and like his father, Charles wanted to be 
autocratic. 

Charles, too, dismissed Parliament, because he could 
not have entirely his own way. He tried to make the 
people pay taxes and give him money without the consent 
of Parliament, and this made them very angry. 

Like King James, King Charles had bad advisers, and 
one of the worst, perhaps, was his own wife, of whom he 
was very fond. She was a French princess called Henri- 
etta Maria and was a Roman Catholic. She hated the 
Puritans, who were growing more and more important in 
England. Charles hated them too, and, with the advice 
of Archbishop Laud, who was one of his chief advisers, 
he treated the Puritans very badly. 

Many of the people in Scotland had become Protestant. 
They were called Presbyterians, and like the Puritans, they 
chose to have a very simple form of worship, and very simple 
churches. This did not please Charles. He said that the 



A BLOW FOR FREEDOM 365 

Scottish Church must use the same service as the EngHsh 
Church. He ordered a new Prayer Book to be made 
which was almost the same as the English Prayer Book. 
This he sent to all the Scottish ministers commanding 
them to begin to use it on Sunday, 23rd July 1637 a.d. 

There was great excitement among the Scottish people 
when this order became known. On the Sunday morn- 
ing many crowded to the Cathedral of St. Giles in 
Edinburgh, wondering what would happen. 

When the Dean entered, it was seen that he was 
wearing a white robe instead of the black one in which 
the Scottish clergy usually preached. 

The Dean little knew of the anger which was rising 
in the hearts of the stern-faced men and women round 
him as the words of the new prayers rang strangely 
through the silent church. 

He began the service, using the new Prayer Book. 
But he had not gone far when an old woman called Jenny 
Geddes sprang up. ' Thou false thief,' she cried, 'wilt thou 
say Mass at my ear ? ' and with that she threw the stool 
upon which she had been sitting at the Dean's head. 

In a moment the whole church was in confusion. * The 
Mass ! the Mass ! popery ! popery ! ' shouted the people. 
' Down with the Pope ! down with him ! ' The women 
rushed at the Dean and tore his white surplice from his 
shoulders, and he was so hardly used that he ran the risk 
of being killed. The Bishop of Edinburgh went into the 
pulpit and tried to calm the people. But they would not 
listen to him. ' A Pope ! a Pope I ' they cried, * down 
with him ! down with him ! ' 

At last soldiers were sent for, the church was 
cleared, the doors were locked and the new service was 
read to the few who were in favour of it. Outside the 
crowd yelled and hooted, breaking the windows with 



366 OUR ISLAND STORY 

stones and hammering on the doors, which were locked 
and barred against them. 

The Bishop barely escaped with his life. He was 
carried through the crowd surrounded by soldiers with 
drawn swords in their hands. 

All Scotland was in arms. High and low banded 
together to resist the King. They drew up a paper 
which was signed by thousands, binding themselves to 
fight for the freedom of religion. This paper was called 
the National Covenant, and the people who signed it the 
Covenanters. Scotland was ready for war, and Charles 
was forced to recall the Prayer Book and allow the Scot- 
tish Church to be free. 

Charles promised the Scottish Church freedom, but 
he could never keep his word. Soon he raised an army 
intending to force them to do as he wished. But the 
Scotch were ready to fight and they marched into 
England to meet Charles. The English Puritans were 
on the side of the Scotch, and for the first time in all 
history a Scottish army coming into England was wel- 
comed by the English. The fighting ended in a victory 
for the Scotch, and once more Charles promised them 
freedom in religion. 

If you should ever go to St. Giles Cathedral in Edin- 
burgh you will see there a brass plate in memory of Jenny 
Geddes and her deed. It is set there, not because it is right 
or wrong to use a Prayer Book, not because it is better to 
worship God in one way rather than another, but because 
it is right that people should be free to pray to God and 
worship God in their own way. Neither Pope nor King 
has a right to say how any man or woman shall pray, and 
it is not because Jenny Geddes fought against a Prayer 
Book, but because she struck a blow for freedom, that we 
remember her. 



CHAPTER LXXVII 

CHARLES I.— THE STORY OF HOW THE KING AND THE 
PARLIAMENT QUARRELLED AND AT LAST FOUGHT 

As Parliament would not do exactly as King Charles 
wished, he ruled without one for nearly twelve years. 
During these years he was often in need of money and 
raised it in many wrong ways. But at last he could get 
no more money by right or by wrong ways, and he was 
obliged to call a Parliament. 

In 1640 A.D., what is known as the Long Parlia- 
ment began to sit. It was called the Long Parliament 
because it lasted so long. The people chose the members 
for this ParUament very carefully, and they were not slow 
to show the King how strong they were. They beheaded 
one of the King's advisers because they said he had been 
guilty of treason. To commit treason means to do any- 
thing that is hurtful to the state or government. To 
commit high treason is to do anything hurtful to the 
King. The Parliament also imprisoned Archbishop 
Laud, and three years later he was beheaded. 

King Charles had quarrelled with every Parliament he 
had had during his reign. Now the quarrels grew worse 
and worse. At last, one day, Charles marched to the 
House, followed by his soldiers, meaning to seize five 
members, who, he thought, were his worst enemies. 

Leaving his soldiers at the door of the House, Charles 
went in and marched up to the Speaker's chair. 

367 



368 OUR ISLAND STORY 

* Mr. Speaker,' he said, * I must borrow your seat for a 
time.' 

The Speaker rose and fell upon his knee before the 
King, the members standing bare-headed, while the King 
sat down in the Speaker's chair. 

Charles looked keenly round the House, but none of 
the five members were to be seen. They had been warned 
and were not there. He called them each by name. 
Only silence answered. 

* Mr. Speaker,' said Charles at last, * where are those 
five members whom I have called ? Are any of them in 
the House ? Do you see them ? ' 

'Your Majesty,' said the Speaker, again falling upon 
his knees, * I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak 
in this place but as the House may be pleased to direct 
me.' 

* Ah ! ' said Charles, * I see the birds are flown.' Then, 
after making a very angry and bitter speech, he left the 
House. As he passed out the silence was broken by cries 
of rage, for the people felt that the King was trampling 
on all their rights. 

The quarrels grew worse and worse, and at last war 
broke out, war between Briton and Briton. English, 
Scotch, and Irish, all joined in this war and it was called 
the Great Rebellion. 

The King and the lords were on one side, and the 
Parliament and the people on the other. Those who 
followed the King were called Cavaliers or Royalists, 
those who followed the Parliament were called Parlia- 
mentarians or Roundheads. Cavalier comes from a word 
which means 'horse,' and the Cavaliers were so called 
because most of them rode upon horses. The Round- 
heads were so called because they wore their hair 
short instead of long and curHng like the Cavaliers. 



THE KING AND PARLIAMENT 369 

The Roundheads were for the most part Puritans, while 
the Cavaliers belonged to the Church of England. 

At this time there was no regular army in Britain, 
such as we have now, and a great many of those who 
fought were quite untrained. The King's army was in 
some ways better than the army of the Parliament, for 
it contained many gentlemen who were accustomed to 
danger and who were able to ride. 

The Parliamentarians were chiefly working men who 
knew very little about fighting. But among them there 
was a brave, strong man called Oliver Cromwell. He 
knew how hard it would be for these working men to 
conquer, if they were not taught how to fight, so he 
drilled them and taught them quickness and obedience. 
So thoroughly did they learn that they became most 
splendid soldiers, and were called Oliver Cromwell's 
Ironsides. 

Never were such strange soldiers seen. In those days 
a camp was a wild, rough place, but from the camp of 
Cromwell's soldiers, instead of the sound of drunkenness 
and laughter, came the sound of psalm singing and prayer. 
To many of them the war was a holy war, a battle for the 
freedom of religion. 

* Trust in God and keep your powder dry,' was 
Cromwell's advice to his soldiers, as one day they were 
crossing a river to attack the enemy. 

For four years the war went on. The Royalist leaders 
were Lord Lindsey and the King's nephew. Prince Rupert. 
Prince Rupert was so fiery and eager in battle that he was 
called 'Dashing Prince Rupert.' But although he was very 
brave, he was not a good general and often did rash things. 
The chief of the Roundhead leaders were Oliver 
Cromwell, Ireton and Fairfax. 

Many battles were fought, sometimes one side win- 

2 A 



370 OUR ISLAND STORY 

ning, sometimes the other. But at last, at a battle called 
Naseby, the Cavaliers were utterly defeated. Then Charles 
lost all hope. He had no money left and very few friends. 
He felt that his cause was ruined, and thinking that the 
Scotch would be kinder to him than the English, he gave 
himself up to them. 

The Scotch and the English were still friends and they 
agreed that if Charles would grant to England the same 
kind of religion as Scotland, they would set him on the 
throne again. But Charles would not promise this, so 
the Scotch gave him up to the Parliamentarians. 

But when the war was over, it was found that neither 
King nor Parliament ruled the land, but the army. The 
King being now a prisoner, the Parliament said there was 
no longer any need for the army, and told the soldiers to 
go back to their homes. But the soldiers refused to go. 
They knew how powerful they had become, and they 
resolved to become yet more powerful and get possession 
of the King. 

One evening a man called Cornet Joyce, with about 
eight hundred soldiers behind him, rode to the house in 
which King Charles was kept prisoner. Going into the 
King's room he told him politely and kindly that he had 
come to take him away. After some talk Charles said 
he was wilhng to go, but as it was now late, Cornet Joyce 
must come again in the morning. 

Accordingly at six o'clock next morning the King rose 
and, going out to the courtyard, found Joyce and all his 
soldiers waiting there, mounted and ready. 

' I pray you, Mr. Joyce,' said the King, as he looked 
at the company of stern men in steel armour, 'deal 
honestly with me and show me your commission,' 

By a commission, the King meant a letter to say that 
Joyce really had orders to take him away. 



THE KING AND PARLIAMENT 371 

* Here is my commission,' said Joyce. 
' Where ? ' said the King. 

' Here,' said Joyce. 

* Where ? ' again asked the King. 

' Behind me,' said Joyce, pointing to the momited 
soldiers. ' I hope it will satisfy your Majesty.' 

Then Charles smiled and said, ' It is as fair a commis- 
sion and as well written as ever I have seen a commission 
in my life. It may be read without spelling. But what 
if I refuse to go with you ? I hope you would not force 
me. I am your King, and you ought not to lay violent 
hands upon your King. I acknowledge none to be above 
me here but God.' 

* We will not hurt you, your Majesty,' replied Joyce. 
' Nay, we will not even force you to come with us 
against your will.' 

So Charles consented to go with them, and asked, 
' How far do you intend to ride to-day ? ' 

'As far as your Majesty can conveniently ride,' 
replied Joyce. 

' I can ride as far as you or as any man here,' said 
Charles, smiling, and so they set out. 

In this way the King became the prisoner of the army 
instead of the prisoner of the Parliament. 



CHAPTER LXXVIII 

CHARLES I.— THE STORY OF HOW THE KING WAS 
BROUGHT TO HIS DEATH 

* God gives not kings the style of gods in vain. 
For on the throne His sceptre do they sway ; 
And as their subjects ought them to obey. 
So kings should fear and serve their God again. 
If, then, ye would enjoy a happy reign. 
Observe the statutes of our heavenly King, 
And from His law make all your laws to spring. 
If His lieutenant here you would remain. 
Reward the just, be steadfast, true, and plain ; 
Repress the proud, maintaining aye the right ; 
Walk always so as ever in His sight. 
Who guards the godly, plaguing the profane ; 
And so shall you in princely virtues shine, 
Resembling right your mighty King divine.' 

This poetry was written by James to his son, and per- 
haps it would have been better both for James and 
Charles had they tried to rule as the poem says kings 
ought to rule. 

After Charles became the prisoner of the army letters 
and messages passed continually between him and Par- 
liament, and between him and the leaders of the army. 
Both parties offered to replace the King upon the 
throne if he would only promise them certain things. 
But these things Charles would not promise, for all the 
time he was secretly plotting with his friends, and hoping 
to free himself. 



THE KING BROUGHT TO HIS DEATH 373 

The leaders of the army treated Charles very kindly, 
allowing him to see his friends, and to have a great deal 
of Hberty. This made it easy for him to escape, which he 
did, and fled to Carisbrooke Castle in the Isle of Wight. 
But although he thought that he was going to friends, he 
found that he was again a prisoner, and more carefully 
guarded than before. 

The struggle for power between Parliament and army 
still went on. But Cromwell was master of the army, and 
he meant to be master of Parliament too. So one day 
when Parliament was about to meet, a man called Colonel 
Pride surrounded the House with soldiers. As they 
arrived, each member who would not do exactly as Crom- 
well and the other army leaders wished, was seized and 
turned away. When this was done there were only 
about fifty members left. This was called Pride's Purge, 
because he purged or cleaned away all those who did not 
think exactly as he did. It was still the Long Parlia- 
ment that was sitting, but people now called it the Rump 
Parliament, because it was not a real parliament, but only 
part of one. 

Cromwell was master of King and Parliament, but the 
army was too strong even for him. Against his will he 
was driven to do a deed from which he shrank. He was 
driven to condemn the King to death. 

Charles was accused of high treason against the 
nation, and was brought to London to be tried. This 
was a crime which had never been heard of before, as high 
treason means a crime against the ruler. 

More than a hundred men were called as judges of 
the King, but scarcely half of them came. Many of them 
were angry with Charles, and wished him to be punished. 
But the punishment for treason they knew was death, 
and they did not wish the King to be killed. 



374 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The judges assembled at Westminster Hall, and King 
Charles was brought before them as a prisoner. They 
who had always stood bareheaded in his presence, now sat 
with their hats upon their heads. Seeing that, Charles 
too kept on his hat, but it was seen that his hair, which 
had been very beautiful, had grown grey, and that he 
looked old and worn. 

Charles had been foolish, he had been wicked, but 
now, in the face of death, he behaved with the dignity of 
a king. The men who sat before him, he said, had no 
right to judge or condemn him. He would not plead for 
mercy. Three times he was brought before the court, 
three times he refused to plead. At last the judges, 
without further trial, sentenced him to death as a ' tyrant, 
a traitor, a murderer, and a public enemy.' 

Calm and dignified as ever, Charles walked out of the 
hall after the sentence had been pronounced. 

' God bless your Majesty,' cried a soldier as he passed, 
and was struck by his officer for daring to say sucii 
words. 

' Methinks,' said the King, pausing and smiling at the 
man, 'the punishment is greater than the fault.' 

Three days later Charles the King walked for the last 
time through the streets of London, from St. James's 
Palace to Whitehall. The way was lined with soldiers, 
soldiers marched in front of him and behind him ; the air 
was filled with the noise of trampling feet and the sound 
of drums. 

The scaffold was raised outside the Palace of White- 
hall, and hundreds of people crowded to see the dreadful 
end of their King, some in joy, very many in grief and 
awe. 

Charles knelt by the block amid deep silence. And 
when a man in a black mask held up the King's head, 



THE KING BROUGHT TO HIS DEATH 375 

crying, ' Behold the head of a traitor ! ' a groan burst from 
the shuddering crowd. 

' He nothing common did or mean 
Upon that memorable scene, 
But with his keener eye 
The axe's edge did try ; 

' Nor called the gods with vulgar spite 
To vindicate his helpless right ; 
But bowed his comely head 
Down, as upon a bed.' 



CHAPTER LXXIX 

THE COMMONWEALTH— THE ADVENTURES OF A PRINCE 

King Charles was beheaded on 30th January 1649 a.d., 
and Parliament immediately proclaimed that kings were 
bad and useless, so England would have no more. The 
Government would be a Commonwealth. Common here 
means ' belonging to all,' and wealth, although we now 
use it to mean money, at one time meant well-being or 
happiness. Commonwealth really means the well-being 
or happiness of all. No one was to be greater than 
another ; all were to be equal. The House of Lords was 
therefore, they said, useless and dangerous, and they did 
away with it. They also made it a crime for any one 
to call Prince Charles king, although he was the eldest 
son of Charles i. 

The people of Scotland and Ireland, however, were 
very angry when they heard what had happened. The 
Scotch had never wished the King to be killed ; they had 
hoped to force him to rule better. Now that he was 
dead they proclaimed his son Charles king. At the same 
time the Irish rebelled, and Cromwell and his Ironsides 
went to subdue them. Very many of the Irish were 
Roman Catholics, and some years before they had risen 
and cruelly murdered the Irish Protestants. Cromwell 
hated the Roman Catholics, and he intended now to 
punish them for their cruelty to the Protestants, as well 



THE ADVENTURES OF A PRINCE 377 

as for rebelling against the Commonwealth, as the Govern- 
ment of Britain was now called. 

Cromwell remained nine months in Ireland, and so 
cruel and pitiless was he, that for many years no Irishman 
could hear his name without a shudder and a curse. The 
country was utterly subdued. Many of the people were 
killed, others were sent as slaves to the West Indies, and 
all who could fled to far countries to escape the fury of 
Cromwell. 

When he had finished this dreadful work, Cromwell 
returned to England, and then marched into Scotland. 
The Ironsides had never been defeated, and now they 
won battle after battle, and at last Charles decided to 
march into England and fight for his crown there. 

Cromwell was very much astonished when he heard 
what Charles was doing, and he hurried after him as fast 
as he could. The English did not flock to join Charles 
as he had expected, and when the two armies met 
at Worcester, Cromwell's army was nearly twice as large 
as that of the Prince. A dreadful battle followed. The 
Scotch fought gallantly for their Prince, but they were 
utterly defeated. Hardly any escaped, and those who 
were not killed were sold as slaves. 

Cromwell called this battle his ' crowning mercy,' for 
with it Charles lost all hope of regaining his kingdom. 
It was fought on what Cromwell used to think was his 
* lucky day,' the third of September. 

Charles fled from Worcester, and had many adven- 
tures before he reached safety. Great rewards were 
offered to any one who would tell where he was hiding, 
punishment and death threatened those who helped him. 
Yet so many were faithful to him that he escaped. 

He cut off" his beautiful hair, stained his face and his 
white hands brown, and instead of silk and satin, he put 



378 OUR ISLAND STORY 

on coarse clothes which were much patched and darned, 
so that he looked like a labouring man. Then with an 
axe over his shoulder, he went into the woods with four 
brothers, who really were working men, and pretended to 
cut wood. 

All day long they stayed in the wood, and at night 
the four brothers guided the Prince to another place. 
There they found so many of Cromwell's men that it 
was not safe for Charles to stay in a house. That night 
he slept in a hay-loft. Next day, finding that even there 
he was not safe, he climbed into an oak-tree, and lay 
among the branches. As it was September, the leaves 
were very thick and hid him well. 

Charles lay very still and quiet. His heart thumped 
against his ribs, and he held his breath when some of 
Cromwell's soldiers rode under the tree. They were so 
close that he could hear them talk. 

' The Lord hath given the ungodly one into our hands,' 
said one. 

* Yea, he cannot be afar off.' 

' We will use well our eyes. Perchance the Lord may 
deliver the malignant even unto us.' 

But the kind green leaves kept close, and little did 
the Roundheads think that the very man for whom they 
were looking was close above their heads and could hear 
every word they said. 

For a whole long day Charles lay in the oak, and at last 
Cromwell's men, having searched and searched in vain 
for him, went away. Then Charles climbed down from 
the tree and walked many weary miles till his feet were 
bhstered and sore, and his bones ached. 

At length he reached the house of a Royalist lady and 
gentleman, who were kind to him. 

The lady pretended that she had to go on a journey 



THE ADVENTURES OF A PRINCE 379 

to visit a sick friend. Charles was dressed as her servant 
and mounted upon a horse, and the lady got up behind 
him. In those days, before there were trains or even 
coaches, ladies very often travelled like this. They did 
not ride upon a horse by themselves, but mounted behind 
a servant or a friend. 

For many miles Charles travelled as this lady's servant, 
having many adventures and escapes by the way. As 
Charles was supposed to be the servant, he had, of course, 
to look after the horse. One evening, as he went into the 
stable-yard of the inn in which they were to spend the 
night, he found it full of Cromwell's men. One of them 
looked hard at the Prince. 

* My friend,' he said, ' I seem to know your face.' 

* Like enough,' replied Charles, ' I have travelled a 
good deal with my masters.' 

' Surely,' said the man, * you were with Mr. 
Baxter ? ' 

* Yes,' replied the Prince calmly, ' I was with him. 
But now make way, my man, till I see after my beast. 
I will talk to you later.' 

So Charles busied himself with his horse, and escaped 
from the man who took him to be a fellow-servant. 

After many dangers, often being recognised in spite 
of his disguises, the Prince arrived at Lyme Regis, and 
there a little boat was found to take him over to France. 
But when the captain's wife heard who was going to sail 
in her husband's boat, she was afraid. She was afraid that 
Cromwell might hear of it, and perhaps kill her husband. 
So she told him he must not go. 

' I must go,' said the captain, ' I have promised.' 

' You shall not go,' said his wife, and, seeing that 
talking did no good, she locked him into a room and took 
the key away. 



380 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Charles and his friends waited in vain for the captain, 
and at last they left Lyme Regis in despair. After more 
adventures they reached Brighton, and there they really 
did find a boat and a captain willing to take them over 
to France. 

The evening before starting, Charles was having supper 
at a little inn in Brighton, when the landlord came behind 
him and kissed his hand. Again he had been recognised. 
But the landlord was faithful, and would not betray him. 

'God bless your Majesty,' he said, 'perhaps I may 
live to be a lord, and my good wife a lady.' He thought 
that if Charles ever came back to the throne he would 
not forget those who had helped and served him when he 
was poor and in trouble. 

For more than six weeks Charles had travelled in fear 
and danger among his bitter enemies. In spite of his 
disguises, many people had recognised him. Yet not one 
had betrayed him. Instead, they had taken a great deal 
of trouble and run many risks to help and save him, and 
now his difficulties and dangers were over. 

Very early next morning, while it was still almost 
dark, the little party crept down to the shore. In the 
grey dawn Charles stepped on board the boat, the sails 
were set, and slowly he was carried away from his 
kingdom which he was not to see again for many long 
days. 



CHAPTER LXXX 

THE COMMONWEALTH— THE LORD PROTECTOR 

The British had hardly done fighting at home, when they 
had to fight with enemies abroad. They went to war 
with the Dutch, who at this time had a very famous 
admiral called Van Tromp. The English, too, had a 
famous admiral called Blake. 

The Dutch and the British had several reasons for 
quarrelling. Each tried to spoil the trade of the other, 
and the Dutch would not acknowledge the new British 
Government. This made the Parliament very angry. 

Several fierce battles were fought at sea, and when 
the Dutch won. Van Tromp hoisted a broom to his mast- 
head, as a sign that he intended to sweep the British 
ships from the seas. Blake and the English were very 
angry at this. They built and manned more ships as 
fast as they could, and once more sailed out to fight the 
Dutch. When the two fleets met, the fiercest, longest 
battle of this sea war took place. For three days they 
fought, but in the end Blake was victorious and, bravely 
though he had fought. Van Tromp was obliged to lower 
his proud broom and sweep the remainder of his own 
fleet homeward. 

It was now about four years since King Charles had 
been beheaded. 

Cromwell was the strongest man in the country, yet 



382 OUR ISLAND STORY 

no real ruler had been appointed, and the Rump Parlia- 
ment was acting neither wisely nor well. Cromwell 
made up his mind to put an end to this. 

So one day he marched to Parhament at the head of 
about three hundred of his soldiers. He himself went 
into the House, leaving some of his soldiers at the door, 
some in the lobby, and some on the stairs. He sat down 
in his usual place, and listened for some time to the 
talking. Then suddenly he rose up and began to speak. 

He told the Parliament that the things which they 
did were unjust, that they were tyrants and worse. 
' But your hour hath come,' he cried, ' the Lord hath 
done with you,' and putting on his hat, he stamped with 
his foot, and his soldiers rushed in. 

' I will put an end to your babbling,' he shouted, and 
at a signal from their master, the soldiers drove the 
members out of the hall, Cromwell calling out insulting 
names at them as they passed. 

The Speaker refused to leave the chair, and tried to 
address the members, but in the noise and confusion 
he could not make himself heard. Then one of Crom- 
well's friends took him by the arm and forced him to go. 
In a few minutes the hall was cleared of every one except 
Cromwell's soldiers and followers. 

On the table lay the mace. The mace is the sign 
of the dignity and the lawfulness of Parliament. It is 
carried before the Speaker as he enters and leaves the 
House, and lies on the table while the members talk 
together. It is a sign of law and order, just as the 
sceptre is the sign of royalty and rule. Cromwell did 
not like any form or ceremony. He thought it was 
foolish and wicked. 

* Take away that bauble,' he said angrily, pointing to 
the mace. So it was removed. Cromwell's friends then 



THE LORD PROTECTOR 383 

left the House, he himself coming last and locking the 
doors after him. This was the end of the Long Parlia- 
ment. It had lasted for thirteen years. 

Cromwell and his friends now set to work to form 
a new Parliament, and one more to their liking than 
the last had been. Instead of allowing the people to 
choose the members, Cromwell himself chose them. But 
this Parliament did not please him much better than 
the last, and in less than five months it was again 
dissolved. 

Cromwell was now asked to become ruler. Some of 
his friends wished him to take the title of king, but he 
refused, chiefly because he knew that his greatest friends 
were the soldiers, and they hated the name of king. If 
he took that name he was sure that they would turn 
against him and become his worst enemies. So he 
became ruler under the title of I^ord Protector. 

Cromwell was not crowned and anointed as king's 
were. But there was a very solemn service held, when a 
beautiful purple robe was placed upon his shoulders, the 
sword of office buckled to his side, and the sceptre 
put into his hand. He was truly king in everything 
but name. 

Cromwell was not only a king, but a very stern and 
autocratic one. He wanted his own way quite as much 
as the Stuarts had done, only he really thought of 
tlie good of the country, and the Stuarts thought only 
of themselves. 

The troubles of the civil war now began to pass 
away, and under the stern rule of the Lord Protector, 
Britain began once more to be peaceful and prosperous 
at home, and famous abroad. 

All the Protestants of Europe looked to Cromwell for 
help and protection, and so powerful was his name that 



384 OUR ISLAND STORY 

he could always give help. Kings bowed and obeyed 
when Cromwell commanded, and Britain was famous 
as she had not been since the days of Elizabeth. Her 
soldiers were the best in the world. Her admirals won 
for her the name of mistress of the seas, a name which 
she has kept ever since. 

Yet the man who had won this great place for Britain 
lived in terror of his life. He was a tyrant, and like all 
tyrants he was bitterly hated, and he knew it. Under 
his clothes he wore armour, he always carried weapons, 
and wherever he went, he was followed and surrounded 
by a strong bodyguard. No one ever knew where he 
would sleep, for he moved about from room to room 
in his great palace lest some one should attack him while 
he rested. 

At last, worn out in body and brain, the great Lord 
Protector died on 3rd September 1658 a.d. It was 
his lucky day. 

' He first put arms into Religion's hand. 
And tim'rous conscience unto courage mann'd ; 
The soldier taught that inward mail to wear. 
And fearing God, how they should nothing fear ; 
Those strokes, he said, will pierce through all below, 
Where those that strike from Heav'n fetch their blow. 
Astonished armies did their flight prepare. 
And cities strong were stormed by his prayer ; 
In all his wars needs must he triumph, when 
He conquered God still ere he fought with men.' 



CHAPTER LXXXI 

CHARLES II. — HOW THE KING CAME TO HIS OWN, AND 
HOW DEATH WALKED IN THE STREETS OF LONDON 

Oliver Cromwell had been so strong and powerful that 
it seemed quite natural to the people to choose his son, 
Richard, as the next Protector. But Richard was a very- 
different man from his father. He had not that in him 
which makes a great soldier or a great ruler. The army, 
the Parliament, and the people soon found this out, and 
troubles began. In a few months, Richard gave up his 
office of Protector, and went away to live quietly in his 
house in the country. 

The people were tired of being ruled by the army. 
They were tired of the gloom and the sternness of the 
Puritans. They remembered with regret the days of 
Charles i., when people dressed in gay colours, when they 
sang and played, when it was not thought wicked to have 
Christmas games or village dances, and they longed for 
these days to come again. They forgot how cruel and bad 
Charles had been, they remembered that he had a son — 
the son whom the Scotch had already crowned King. 

General Monk, who had ruled Scotland under Crom- 
well, saw that many of the Scotch had never forgotten 
their King. So thinking great things, but saying little, 
he began to march to London. 

The Parliament and the army were already quarreUing, 

2 B 



386 OUR ISLAND STORY 

and as Monk passed through England, people flocked to 
him from all sides begging him to try to bring peace and 
order into the country again. This was what Monk 
meant to do, how he had not settled, but letters and 
messages were secretly passing between him and Charles, 
who was at this time living in Holland. 

At last Monk reached London, and one day, when 
Parliament was sitting, he entered the House and told 
the members that there was a messenger at the door 
with a letter from Charles. 

Amid great excitement the messenger was brought 
in and the letter read. It promised pardon to all those 
who had rebelled against Charles r. ; it promised freedom 
to all to worship God as they thought right. It seemed 
to bring once more the promise of happiness and peace 
to Britain. The people rejoiced, and shouted, * God save 
the King ! ' The Commonwealth was at an end. Britain 
had a King again. 

A few days later Charles landed at Dover, where he 
was met by Monk, and, 'mid the cheers and rejoicing of 
the people, rode to London. Charles landed upon his 
birthday, 29th May 1660 a.d., and people thought it was 
a good sign that he should have arrived upon such a 
happy day. 

The soldiers alone did not rejoice. They had always 
hated the name of king, they hated it still, and when 
Charles ii. rode gaily into London, the army, which was 
drawn up on Blackheath to do him honour, stood sullen, 
gloomy, and silent. 

For more than ten years the army had been the 
greatest power in the country. But Charles saw that, 
because the soldiers dishked him, for him it was a danger 
rather than a safeguard. So he disbanded the army, and 
sent the soldiers back to their homes. 



HOW THE KING CAME TO HIS OWN 387 

Charles was very glad to return to his own country. 
From being poor and homeless he had become the ruler 
over one of the greatest kingdoms of the world. But, in 
spite of all he had suffered, he had not learned to be kind 
or good. 

As soon as Charles was safely on the throne he 
forgot all the promises which he had made. Many of 
the people who had helped to put Charles i. to death 
were punished, some of them being beheaded. The old 
quarrels about religion began again as fiercely as ever, for 
the King was a Roman Catholic at heart, although he 
dared not own it, and pretended to belong to the Church 
of England. The new Parliament was called the Cavalier 
Parliament, because it was so full of the King's friends, 
and they made laws which were very hard for the 
Puritans and Presbyterians. 

Scotland suffered much from these laws, and Charles 
sent a cruel man, called Lauderdale, to govern for him 
there. He, helped by another man called Claverhouse, 
tortured and put to death all those who would not 
worship God as the King commanded. 

During the reign of Charles ii. there was another war 
between the Dutch and the British. The Dutch had 
good ships, brave sailors, and brave leaders. The British, 
too, were brave, but their ships were badly managed. 
The money which should have been used to pay and feed 
the sailors was wasted by the King and his friends. The 
war, however, went fiercely on, sometimes one side, some- 
times the other, having the best of it. But the Dutch 
grew very bold, and at last sailed up the Thames, burning 
and destroying many of the British ships. Then, for the 
only time in all history, the roar of an enemy's guns was 
heard in London. The people went mad with fear and 
shame and anger. They thought the kingdom itself was 



388 OUR ISLAND STORY 

threatened, and, recalling the days of Cromwell, asked 
themselves if he would have suffered an enemy so to 
insult his country. But the danger passed, and peace 
was made. 

While this war was going on a terrible sickness called 
the plague broke out in London. It began in winter 
time. At first no one thought much about it, for such 
sickness was common in those days when people were 
careless about keeping their houses and towns clean. 
But as the days became warmer, the plague became worse, 
and soon it was so terrible that all who could fled from 
the town. 

It was a dreadful time. No business was done, the 
shops were shut, the churches were empty. The streets, 
which used to be so full of people hurrying to and fro, 
were silent, deserted, and grass-grown. 

As soon as it became known that any one in a house 
had the plague, all who lived in that house were forbidden 
to leave it lest they should carry the dreadful sickness to 
others. Then the door was marked with a great red cross, 
and the words, ' The Lord have mercy on us.' 

At night, the awful silence of the streets was 
broken by the sounds of heavy, rumbling carts, and 
the mournful cry of the men in charge of them, ' Bring 
out your dead I bring out your dead!' For those who 
died of this sickness could not be buried in a peaceful 
green churchyard where their friends could come to put 
flowers upon their graves. There were far too many of 
them for that. Those who died during the day were 
carried away in a cart at night, and buried all together in 
a great grave which was dug for them outside the town. 

The story is told of a boatman who, when his wife 
became ill of the plague, could no longer go near his 
house, but slept in his boat. He worked hard all day, 



HOW THE KING CAME TO HIS OWN 389 

and in the evening used to bring what he had earned and 
lay it upon a stone not far from his house. Then he 
would go a little distance off and call to his wife. When 
she heard his call, she sent one of their children out to 
take the money and the food which he had brought. 
They would speak to each other for a short time at a 
distance, and then the boatman would go away again, sad 
at heart, wondering if his wife and children would be still 
alive when he came again next evening. But at least he 
knew that his dear ones would not die of hunger, as so 
many of the poor people did whose friends had run away 
and deserted them. 

This dreadful sickness was greatly caused, and made 
much worse, by the dirt of the streets and the houses. 
In those days no one thought of keeping the streets 
clean. People threw all the rubbish from their houses 
into them, and there it lay rotting and poisoning the 
air. The streets, too, were very narrow, and windows 
small, so that little air or light could come into the 
houses. In fact, people never thought about fresh air 
and light. 

The doctors did not know how to cure this sickness. 
Make-believe doctors offered the people all kinds of 
medicines which could do no good, but which were 
eagerly bought. Many went mad with terror and horror, 
and at one time a thousand people died every day. But 
at last the dreadful summer passed, and, with the coming 
of the winter and the frost, the terrible sickness gradually 
disappeared. 



CHAPTER LXXXIT 

CHARLES II.— THE STORY OF HOW LONDON WAS BURNED 

After the plague had passed away another dreadful 
misfortune happened to London, at least at the time it 
seemed like a misfortune, but really it was a good thing. 
This was the Great Fire which caused much of the city 
to be burned to the ground. Many of the dirty houses 
and narrow streets were destroyed, and with them the 
last remains of the dreadful plague were also burned 
away. When the houses were built again they were 
made better and the streets were made wider, so that the 
Great Fire was not altogether a misfortune. 

The fire first broke out in a baker's shop. As most 
of the houses were built of wood, and the summer had 
been unusually hot and dry, the flames spread very fast. 
They leaped from house to house, and the people, seeing 
that it was useless to try to save their dwellings, tried 
rather to save their furniture and belongings by carrying 
them to other houses. But sometimes, as soon as they 
had done this the fire would attack these too, and the 
people had to fly still further away, often in the end 
losing all that they possessed. 

For three days and nights the fire blazed and roared. 
A great cloud of smoke hung over the city by day, but 
at night there was no darkness, for the flames made it 
brighter than by day. The air was hot and stifling, and 
at last no one could go near the fire, so great was the 

390 



STORY OF HOW LONDON WAS BURNED 391 

heat. The earth seemed a blazing furnace, and the sky- 
as if beaten out of burning copper. 

To stop the fire seemed impossible. It must burn and 
burn until nothing more was left to destroy. So houses 
were pulled down in order to make a gap between the 
burning ones and those which were still safe. But the 
work went on too slowly, and before the gap was big 
enough, the fire had reached the workers, and they had to 
flee for their lives. 

At last some one thought of the plan of blowing up 
the houses with gunpowder. This was done, and when 
the hungry flames reached the open spaces left by the 
houses which had been destroyed, they died away, for 
they could not overleap the ruins and attack the houses 
beyond. 

So the roar and crackle of the flames ceased, and the 
great cloud of smoke rolled away, but London, from the 
Tower to Temple Bar, was left a smouldering, blackened 
ruin, and two hundred thousand people were homeless. 

In memory of the Great Fire a monument was raised 
on the spot where it first broke out, and may still be 
seen to this day. So fearful were people at that time 
about plots, and so bitter was the feeling about religion, 
that many thought the fire had been caused on purpose 
by the Roman Catholics. But there was never any real 
reason for believing this, and now every one thinks that 
it happened by accident. 

About this time the King of France became very 
greedy, and wanted more land and power than he had a 
right to possess. To prevent him succeeding in his 
plans to get these, three other countries in Europe joined 
together, forming what was called the Triple Alliance. 
The three countries were Britain, Holland, and Sweden. 
Triple means ' three,' and alliance means ' to join together,' 



392 OUR ISLAND STORY 

and the Triple Alliance was called so because three 
countries joined together. 

As you know, the French and English were old 
enemies, and this alliance pleased the English, so that 
Charles was forced to join it, although he really did not 
care whether the French King was powerful or not. 

Charles thought most of all about his own pleasure. 
He spent a great deal of money, and he could not always 
make the Commons give him more when he wanted it. 
Now he thought of a new way of getting money. He 
wrote secret letters to the King of France, offering to 
break with the Triple Alliance, and to help him to fight 
against the Dutch. This, he said, he would do, if the 
King of France would promise to give him a large sum of 
money every year. 

The King of France promised, and so Charles dis- 
graced himself and his country, not only by breaking his 
word, but by becoming the servant of the King of 
France. Openly he pretended to be a Protestant and the 
friend of Protestants. Secretly he was a Roman Catholic 
and the friend of Roman Catholics. 

For a time Charles kept up the pretence of the Triple 
Alliance, and by telling the Parliament that he must have 
more sailors, in order to keep a check upon the French 
King, he got a large sum of money from them. He got 
still more money in other wicked ways and then, to the 
anger of the people, he made war on the Dutch. 

But if France was greedy and Britain false, Holland 
was strong and stubborn. Bravely she fought under her 
great leader, William, Prince of Orange. In two years 
Charles came to the end of his money, and he was forced 
to sign a peace called the Peace of Westminster, and leave 
France to fight alone. But he still continued to receive 
money from the French King. 



STORY OF HOW LONDON WAS BURNED 393 

Charles was called the Merry Monarch, because he 
was gay and laughter-loving. The people were glad at 
first to have so gay a King, for they were tired of the 
stern ways of Cromwell and the Puritans. But they soon 
found out that Charles was selfish and wicked as well as 
gay, and his reign proved a very unhappy one for Britain. 

There was constant discontent, there were constant 
plots. The King plotted. Parliament plotted, Protestants 
plotted, and Catholics plotted. But out of all the misery 
and discontent and injustice of these years one good 
thing at least grew. 

This good thing was the passing of the Habeas 
Corpus Act. It was indeed no new act, it was as old as 
the Great Charter of King John, but like much in that 
great charter it had been set aside by king after king. 
By this Act no person could be put into prison and left 
there as long as the King pleased, or until he was for- 
gotten by all his friends. It commanded that every 
person should be brought to trial, and either punished or 
set free. Habeas Corpus is Latin for ' have his body,' 
and means that the body of the prisoner must be brought 
into court at a certain time to be tried, instead of being 
left in prison for a long, long time or perhaps sent into 
slavery and exile without any trial or any chance of 
proving himself innocent. This Act is at least one good 
thing to remember of the reign of Charles ii., who died 
in 1685 A.D., having reigned for twenty-five years. 

He died as he had lived, careless, witty, laughter- 
loving. He was clever, and it is said that he never said 
a foolish thing, and never did a wise one. He was lazy, 
selfish, and deceitful, a bad man, and a bad king. Yet 
Charles found both men and women to love him during 
his life, and to sorrow for him at his death because he 
was clever, good-tempered, and had pleasant manners. 



CHAPTER LXXXIII 

JAMES II. OF ENGLAND AND VII. OF SCOTLAND— 
THE FIERY CROSS 

When Charles ii. died, he left no sons who might succeed 
him, so his brother James, Duke of York, came to the 
throne. James was a Roman Catholic. During the 
reign of Charles ii., an Act had been passed forbidding 
Roman Catholics to hold any public office. Yet in spite 
of this law, James was made King. 

James promised that he would not hurt the Protestant 
churches. He allowed a bishop of the Church of Eng- 
land to crown him, but part of the coronation service was 
missed — that part at which the King used to receive a 
Bible and be told to read and believe it. 

The new King's cruel character soon began to show 
itself. By his orders and in the name of religion, Claver- 
house continued to murder and torture the Scotch in 
most terrible ways because they refused again to accept 
the teaching of the English Church. More wicked still, 
in England, a man called Chief- Justice Jeffreys, by his 
cruelties made for himself a name which has never been 
forgotten. He was a monster ; an ogre more fierce and 
terrible than in any fairy tale. 

But James was not allowed to take possession of the 
kingdom without a struggle. In Holland, numbers of 
Protestants who had been driven out of Britain in the 
reign of Charles ii. were gathered together. They felt 



THE FIERY CROSS 395 

that now was the time to return and fight, for they knew 
that many of their fellow countrymen must hate a 
Catholic King. 

One of these exiled Protestants, a brave Scotchman 
called the Earl of Argyle, agreed to raise an army in 
Scotland, and an English noble, called the Duke of 
Monmouth, agreed to raise one in England. Monmouth 
thought that he had a better right to the throne than 
James, and with the help of Argyle he hoped to be able 
to drive James from the throne and become King him- 
self. The English people knew and loved Monmouth, 
and indeed during the life of Charles, there had been a 
plot to set him upon the throne. 

When everything was arranged, the Earl of Argyle 
sailed from Holland with his little band of followers, and 
landed in Scotland. He was one of the most powerful 
of the Scottish nobles. Although, when he had fled from 
the country in the reign of Charles, the King had taken 
his land and money from him, he knew that he could 
trust to his clan to rise and follow him as soon as he 
returned. 

In those days there were no telegraphs and no post- 
men. There were even few roads among the wild 
Highlands of Scotland and few people could read. So 
when a chief had need of his men he gathered them by 
means of a sign which all could understand. This sign 
was the Fiery Cross. 

A rough cross was made from the wood of a yew-tree. 
The ends of this cross were set alight and afterwards the 
flames were put out by being dipped in the blood of a 
goat. The chief with his own hands then solemnly gave 
the cross to a swift runner. This man took it and ran as 
swiftly as he could to the next village. When the men 
of this village saw the Fiery Cross, they said, ' Our chief 



396 OUR ISLAND STORY 

has need of us,' and they at once prepared for battle, 
while the Fiery Cross was put into the hands of another 
swift runner, who carried it over hill and glen to the next 
village. 

On and on it went through all the countryside, the 
men in each village and farmhouse understanding what 
was needed of them and, without a word, gathering to 
their chief. 

So it was that the Clan Campbell gathered round their 
chieftain Mac Calkim More, as they loved to call Argyle. 

But although the Earl's men were loyal to him, those 
who had come from Holland with him to serve as his 
captains would not agree and would not obey. Their 
foolish jealousy of their leader was so great that his army 
became disheartened and was scattered almost before 
there had been any real fighting. 

The Earl was once more forced to flee. Dressed as a 
peasant and followed by only one faithful friend he tried 
to escape. But as they were crossing a little river they 
were seized by some of the King's soldiers. The Earl 
to save himself sprang into the water, but the soldiers 
followed him. He was armed only with pistols, and in 
his spring into the water the powder had been wet and 
they would not fire. He was struck to the ground and 
taken prisoner. 

When Argyle saw that it was useless to struggle any 
more he called out, ' I am the Earl of Argyle.' He 
knew what a great name his was, and he hoped that 
even the King's soldiers would tremble before it and 
let him go. 

But his name could not save him, and he was led a 
prisoner to Edinburgh. There the judges tried in vain 
to make him tell who were with him in the rebellion. He 
would not tell and he was condemned to death. Bravely 



THE FIERY CROSS 397 

and calmly he met his fate. One of the last things he 
did was to write to his wife. 

* Dear Heart, — Forgive me all my faults ; and now 
comfort thyself in Him in whom only true comfort is to 
be found. The Lord be with thee, bless and comfort 
thee, my dearest. — Adieu.' 

On his grave were carved some lines which he himself 
wrote the day before he died. 

Although Argyle had refused to give the names of 
the other leaders of the rebellion, many were seized and 
beheaded. To one of them James said, ' You had better 
be frank with me. You know it is in my power to pardon 
you.' 

' It may be in your power, sire,' replied the man, 'but 
it is not in your nature.' The man was right; James 
never forgave. 



CHAPTER LXXXIV 

JAMES II. OF ENGLAND AND VII. OF SCOTLAND— THE 
STORY OF KING MONMOUTH 

A FEW days after Argyle reached Scotland, the Duke of 
Monmouth sailed from Holland and landed in England. 
He was received with great joy. The common people 
flocked to his standard, many of them armed only with 
scythes, and pruning-hooks fastened to poles. Nine 
hundred young men marched before him, twenty beauti- 
ful girls gave him a Bible splendidly bound and a banner 
which they had themselves embroidered. The roads 
wherever he went were lined with cheering crowds. * A 
Monmouth I A Monmouth I the Protestant religion I ' 
they cried as he passed. 

The Duke's followers begged him to take the title 
of king, so, on 20th June 1685 a.d., the same day on 
which Argyle was led captive through Edinburgh, Mon- 
mouth was proclaimed king at Taunton, a little town in 
the south of England. But like the real King, he was 
named James so, instead of calling him King James, his 
followers called him King Monmouth. 

King Monmouth did not enjoy his title long. In the 
dark of the early morning of the 6th July, a battle was 
fought between King James's men and the followers of 
Monmouth, on the plain of Sedgemoor. Monmouth 
fought bravely, but when he saw that his men were being 



THE STORY OF KING MONMOUTH 399 

defeated, he turned and fled away leaving them leaderless 
and hopeless. This was the last real battle ever fought 
on English ground. 

Monmouth tried to escape in disguise. He changed 
clothes with a poor shepherd, but the country was so full 
of the King's soldiers that he found it impossible to get 
away. For several days he lived in the fields, hiding in 
ditches and having nothing to eat but raw peas and beans. 
At last, miserable and ragged, half starving from cold and 
hunger, he was discovered by the soldiers and taken 
prisoner to London. 

Bound with a cord of silk he was led before King 
James, and falling upon his knees he begged for mercy 
and forgiveness. But James never forgave. Monmouth, 
like so many other men, good and bad, was beheaded. 

The anger and vengeance of the King did not end 
with the death of Monmouth. His soldiers, under a 
dreadful man called Kirke, tortured and murdered, in a 
terrible manner, the poor rebels who escaped from 
Sedgemoor. Judge Jeffreys followed next, and so many 
people did he kill, such terrible things did he do, that his 
journey through the country was for ever after called the 
Bloody Assize. 

Assize means Court of Justice. At certain times in 
England judges make what is called a circuit or journey 
through the country, when they hear what wrong things 
people have done, and when they judge and punish. 
But on this dreadful journey Judge Jeffreys did not 
do justice. He did wrong and murder, and King James 
praised and rewarded him for it. 



CHAPTER LXXXV 

JAMES II. OF ENGLAND AND VII. OF SCOTLAND— THE 
STORY OF THE SEVEN BISHOPS 

Having put down two rebellions, James made up his 
mind to turn Britain into a Roman Catholic country 
once more. It was against the law for a Roman Catholic 
to hold any public office but, in spite of that James began 
to turn away Protestants from many posts, and to put 
Roman Catholics in their places. The people grew 
more and more angry, but still James took his own 
way, growing bolder and bolder. 

At last he issued what was called the Declaration 
of Indulgence. In this Declaration he said that all 
the laws against the Roman Catholics, and against all 
others who did not belong to the Church of England, 
and who were called Dissenters, were done away with. 

James hated the Dissenters, that is the Puritans and 
Presbyterians, but he thought that if he made them free 
they would side with him and help him to free the 
Romish Church also. But they did not do so. They 
knew that James was breaking the laws of the land in 
issuing this Declaration, and they would not accept 
freedom in an unlawful manner. 

The King ordered the Declaration to be read in all 
London churches on Sundays, 20th and 27th May, and 
in all country churches on Sundays, 3rd and 10th of June. 



THE STORY OF THE SEVEN BISHOPS 401 

But nearly every clergyman in London and in the country 
refused to obey. 

After a great deal of talking and consulting seven 
bishops wrote out a paper, which they all signed. In this 
paper the bishops told the King that they could not obey 
him, not because they wished people who thought differ- 
ently from themselves to be cruelly and unkindly treated, 
but because the laws against these people had been made 
by Parliament. They had been passed by King, Lords, 
and Commons, and could only be recalled by the consent 
of King, Lords, and Commons. The King alone, they 
reminded him, had no power to recall a law, and, in 
ordering the clergy to read the Declaration of Indulgence 
in the churches, the King was ordering them to break the 
law. This they refused to do. 

By the time that this letter was written and signed, it 
was late on Friday evening. There was no time to be 
lost, and the bishops took it at once to the King. 

He received them kindly, but when he read the 
letter his face grew dark and angry. * This is rebellion,' 
he said. 

* Sire,' said the bishops, ' we are not rebels. We are 
true to your Majesty. We wish to keep the laws of 
the land. ' 

* I tell you it is rebellion,' repeated James. 

Then one of the bishops, who was called Trelawney, 
fell upon his knees. * Sire,' he cried, * do not say so 
hard a thing to us. No Trelawney can be a rebel. 
Remember that my family has fought for the crown. 
Remember how we served your Majesty against Mon- 
mouth.' 

'We are ready to die at your Majesty's feet,' cried 
another. 'We helped to put down one rebellion, why 
should we raise another ? ' 

2 c 



402 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' This is rebellion ! This is rebellion, I will be 
obeyed ! ' replied the King, growing more and more 
angry. * I will keep this paper. I will remember you 
who have signed it. You are rebels. Go.' 

The bishops went. But that very night copies of the 
letter which they had written to the King were printed 
and sold to thousands of joyful people, who in reading 
it knew that seven brave men were fighting for their 
freedom. 

On Sunday morning the excitement was great. 
People crowded to the churches in thousands. Would 
the clergy read the Declaration, or would they not, 
was the question which everybody asked. It was soon 
answered. In only four of the hundred London churches 
was it read. In these four churches, as soon as the first 
words were heard the people rose and streamed out, so 
that when the reading was at an end the churches were 
silent and empty. 

A week passed. The second Sunday came. Again 
thousands thronged to the churches. Again the Declara- 
tion was unread. Excitement grew. Another week 
passed. Would the country churches read the Declara- 
tion, or would they not? That question, too, was 
answered. The country clergy, like the London clergy, 
refused, and the land from end to end seemed to be filled 
with an outburst of joy. 

Then the King ordered the seven bishops who had 
written the letter, and who had set the brave example, 
to be sent to the Tower. As soon as this became 
known the whole river was crowded with boats, and the 
banks thronged with people eager to see the bishops 
as they passed on their way to prison. When the 
bishops appeared, the people fell upon their knees 
begging for a blessing. All the way from Whitehall 



THE STORY OF THE SEVEN BISHOPS 403 

to the Tower the air was full of shouts of ' God bless 
your Lordships ! ' It was like a royal procession, rather 
than like rebels being led to prison. As the bishops 
entered the Traitors' Gate, the guards knelt before 
them begging, too, for a blessing, and in the guard- 
house the rough soldiers drank to the health of the 
brave bishops. 

All next day, to the anger of the King, great people 
crowded to visit the bishops, to cheer and comfort them 
in prison. And when ten of the chief Dissenters went 
to see them, his anger knew no bounds. He called these 
Dissenters before him to scold them, and ask what they 
meant by visiting their enemies. ' We are all Protes- 
tants,' they replied, ' it is our duty to forget old quarrels, 
and stand by the men who are fighting for the liberties 
of the Protestant religion.' 

For a week the bishops w^ere kept in prison, while 
all over the country people wondered anxiously what 
would happen to them. Bishop Trelawney belonged 
to Cornwall. The people there loved him very much, 
and they made a song about him of which the chorus 
was : — 

* And shall Trelawney die ? and shall Trelawney die ? 
Then thirty thousand Cornish boys will know the reason why.' 

After being kept in prison for a week the bishops 
were brought to court to be tried. The excitement was 
tremendous. The King and his friends did all they 
could to have the bishops punished. But it was in vain. 
The judges and the jury said that the bishops had done 
no wrong, and they were set free. 

From street to street the joyful news spread like 
wildfire. Bells rang, cannon boomed, bonfires blazed, 
people cheered and wept and sang. Another battle had 



404 OUR ISLAND STORY 

been fought for freedom, another victory won, and all 
England seemed mad with the joy of it. 

At night, the houses were lit up ; in nearly every 
window a row of seven candles appeared, one candle for 
each bishop. The streets were filled with rejoicing people, 
and not until day dawned, and the bells began to ring for 
morning service, did the weary, happy crowds go to 
their homes. 



CHAPTER LXXXVI 

JAMES II. OF ENGLAND AND VII. OF SCOTLAND— WILLIAM 
THE DELIVERER 

Any one could see that the people were everywhere 
ready for rebellion. The King alone would not see it 
and went on in his own way. He was angry and sullen, 
but very obstinate. * I will not give way,' he said, ' my 
father lost his head by giving way,' and he resolved to 
punish the people. 

But James had gone too far. The people were weary 
of a Popish tyrant, and they made up their minds to have 
a Protestant King. So they asked William, Prince of 
Orange, to come to rule over them, the Prince against 
whom Charles ii. had fought in the Dutch wars. William 
had some claim to the throne. I will explain how. 

Charles i. had a daughter called Mary. She married 
a Prince of Orange called William, and their son, also 
called William, was now Prince of Orange. He was 
thus the nephew of Charles ii. and of James ii., and 
besides this he had married his cousin, Mary, the eldest 
daughter of James ii. 

Although their father, James, was a Roman Catholic, 
Mary and her sister, Anne, were both Protestants, 
and except for their little brother, who was at this time 
a tiny baby, Mary was the next heir to the throne of 
Britain. 

So when the British saw that James meant to rule as 
a tyrant and that there was no hope of any freedom or 

405 



406 OUR ISLAND STORY 

happiness for them as long as he was King, they sent 
messages to Holland begging William to come to take 
the crown. 

William consented to come, and began to gather his 
ships and men. And one day a letter reached James 
telling him what the Prince of Orange was doing. As 
James read, he turned pale and the letter dropped from 
his hand. He had thought that he might ill-treat the 
people as he liked. Now he discovered his mistake and 
tried to undo the evil he had done. It was too late. 
His people had forsaken him. 

William was ready to sail, but for some days he was 
prevented because of the wind which blew from the west. 
At last it changed, and what was known for many years 
after as the ' Protestant East Wind ' began to blow. 

It blew the Prince and his great fleet to the shores of 
Britain. More than six hundred ships swept over the 
water, led by William in his vessel called the Brill. From 
the mast-head floated his standard, with the arms of 
Nassau and of Britain upon it, and in great shining letters 
the words, ' I will maintain the liberties of England, and 
the Protestant religion.' By night the dark sea glittered 
for miles with lights. By day the white sails glimmered 
in the wintry sun. 

Once before in our story a great conqueror called 
William had sailed to these shores with mighty ships and 
men. This was no conqueror, but a deliverer. 

On tlie 5th of November 1688 a.d., William landed 
at Torbay, in Devonshire. There the stone upon which 
he first placed his foot is still to be seen. Although now 
it is a town, then it was a little lonely village, and the 
Prince had to sleep the first night in a tiny thatched 
cottage. But over it, as proudly as over any castle, 
fluttered the great banner with its promise, * I will main- 



WILLIAM THE DELIVERER 407 

tain the liberties of England and the Protestant re- 
ligion.' 

Through rain and wintry weather, over roads knee- 
deep in mud, the Prince and his army marched north- 
ward. Worn, wet, and muddy as they were, the people 
crowded everywhere along the way to cheer them. The 
Prince rode upon a beautiful white horse, a white feather 
was in his hat, and armour glittered upon his breast. 
His face was grave and stern, his eyes keen and watchful. 
He looked a soldier and a King. 

As he rode along an old woman pushed her way 
through the crowd, and afraid neither of the prancing 
horses nor the drawn swords of the soldiers, darted to the 
side of the Prince. She seized his hand, and, looking up 
into his face with eyes full of tears, cried, ' I am happy 
now, I am happy now.' And the grave and stern 
William smiled gently as he looked down upon her. 
The Deliverer had come. 

James ii., his Queen, and their little boy fled to 
France. No one wanted James, no one regretted him. 
To go to France was the best thing he could do, and the 
King there received him kindly and treated him as an 
honoured guest. 

At Westminster a Parliament was called, which 
arranged that William and Mary should be King and 
Queen together. For although Mary had the better right 
to the throne she did not wish to reign without her 
husband, nor did he wish to accept a lower rank than 
that of his wife. 

So ended the ' Glorious Revolution.' It had been 
brought about with hardly any fighting at all, and the 
war between the King and Parliament was at an end, for 
William and Mary received the throne by the will of 
Parliament. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII 

WILLIAM III. AND MARY XL— THE STORY OF BRAVE 
LONDONDERRY 

Although most of the people received William and 
Mary joyfully, some, chiefly in Ireland and Scotland, 
still looked upon James as the rightful King. 

In Ireland especially there were many Roman 
Catholics, who would not acknowledge a Protestant 
King. The King of France hated William, so he helped 
James with money and ships, which enabled him to set 
out for Ireland to win his kingdom again. 

James landed at a town called Kinsale and the Irish 
people welcomed him with great joy. But he felt dis- 
heartened almost at once for there had already been much 
fighting, and the country through which he had to pass 
was desolate and deserted, and at times he and his men 
could find hardly enough food to keep them from 
starving. Most of the Protestants had fled from the land 
or had shut themselves up in the two towns of Enniskillen 
and Londonderry. The soldiers of James besieged both 
these towns, but it was round Londonderry that the 
greatest fight took place. 

Londonderry is on a river called the Foyle, and the 
enemy not only surrounded the town on the land side, 
but they built a bar across the river so that no ships 
could come to the town with food or help. 



STORY OF BRAVE LONDONDERRY 409 

The walls were weak and the cannon few, and the 
Irish thought that the town could not hold out for long. 
The Governor, too, was a cowardly man, and did his best 
to dishearten the people, until it was suspected that he 
was a traitor. Indeed, he would have given in, but a 
brave old clergyman, called Walker, marched into his 
pulpit one morning with a sword in one hand and a 
Bible in the other, and preached such a rousing sermon 
that the people took heart and never lost it again through 
all the long weeks of hunger and suffering which they 
had to endure. 

It was a dreadful time. The people had hardly any- 
thing to eat, but they held bravely on, hoping against 
hope that help would come to them from England. But 
day after day passed and no help came. Rats, mice, 
dogs, and horses, all were eaten, only tallow and skins 
remained. Still they held on. The soldiers were so 
weak at last from want of food that they could hardly 
stand, far less fight. They resolved to hold out for two 
days longer. Then the end must come. 

But just as the sun was setting on the 28th of July, 
the day before they were going to give in, the eager 
watchers on the walls saw the gleam of sails far down the 
river. Help ! Help at last I How their hearts beat, 
how they shouted with all the little strength they had, 
as nearer and nearer sailed the ships. 

There were three of them. On they came with all 
sail set. But how could they pass the dreadful bar 
which lay right across the river ? On they came. One 
ship called the Mountjoy took the lead and, sailing with 
all its force, it crashed against the boom, as the bar was 
called 

With a tremendous noise the boom shivered and 
cracked, but the Mountjoy was not strong enough to 



410 OUR ISLAND STORY 

break it through. The shock was so fierce that the ship 
was thrown backward and stuck in the mud, for the river 
was shallow. 

A groan rose from the people on the walls, and their 
hearts grew sick with disappointment and fear, while the 
Irish soldiers on the bank cheered with triumph. But as 
the Mountjoy was thrown back, the second ship followed 
and dashed at the spot which the Mountjoy had hit. 
The boom, which was already cracked, gave way and, 
amid the noise of joyful cheers and of tearing, splintering 
wood, she sailed gaily over. Londonderry was saved. 

That same night, eager hands unloaded the ships and, 
for the first time for three months, the people had enough 
to eat. A day or two later the army of James burned the 
tents and cabins in which they had lived while besieging 
the town, and went away. 

But the struggle was not over. It lasted until the 
following year, when William himself came to Ireland. 
Then there was a great battle between the soldiers of 
.lames and the soldiers of William. It was called the 
Battle of the Boyne, because it was fought near a river of 
that name. James was beaten, and fled again to France, 
and William, with the crown upon his head, entered 
Dublin, the acknowledged King of Ireland. 



CHAPTER LXXXVIII 

WILLIAM III. AND MARY II.— THE STORY OF A SAD 
DAY IN A HIGHLAND GLEN 

The friends of James were called Jacobites, from Jacobus, 
which is Latin for James. There were many Jacobites 
in the north of Scotland. They rose under Claverhouse, 
the man who had treated the Covenanters so badly, and 
a battle was fought at Killiecrankie Pass. The Jacobites 
won the day, but their leader was killed, so, although 
many of the clans continued to be discontented, they 
were without a leader and could do little. 

The discontent and rebellion went on for a year or 
two, and at last William determined to put an end to it. 
He proclamed that he would forgive all those who had 
rebelled, if they would take an oath, before 1st January 
1692 A.D., acknowledging him as King, and promising 
to live quietly and peacefully under his rule. Those who 
did not take the oath would be punished. 

All the Highland chieftains, except the chief of the 
Macdonalds of Glencoe, took the oath. This chief was 
very unwilling to own William as King, and he could not 
bring himself to do so until the very last day. Then he 
started off from his lonely glen and went to the nearest 
town, where he expected to find one of the King's officers 
to whom he could swear the oath. But to his dismay he 
found that he had come to the wrong town, and that 
there was no one there who could receive his oath. 

411 



412 OUR ISLAND STORY 

He started off again, as quickly as he could, to go to 
the right town. But it was deep winter, and travelling 
was very slow in those days, and he was six days late 
when he arrived. However, his oath was accepted, and 
he went home feeling safe and happy. 

But a man called the Master of Stair, who was 
governing Scotland for William and Mary, hated all 
Highlanders, and the Campbells, another clan, hated the 
Macdonalds. So the Campbells and the Master of Stair 
decided that, as the chief had been a few days late in 
swearing to obey William, they had a good excuse for 
killing all the Macdonalds. 

William was not told that Macdonald had sworn. 
He was made to believe that he had not done so, and 
that the whole clan was a set of robbers, and he signed 
an order for them to be destroyed. Although it is said 
that William did not know what he was doing when he 
signed this order, he ought to have known, and the 
Massacre of Glencoe, as it is called, is the darkest spot on 
his reign. 

The Master of Stair had the King's order, but he did 
not do his work openly. He sent Campbell and his men 
to live in Glencoe for nearly a fortnight, so that Mac- 
donald should suspect nothing. The old chief received 
the men kindly, and treated as his guests those who were 
ready to betray and murder him. 

At five o'clock one dark winter's morning, the 
Campbells crept silently out of the houses and along the 
snow-covered paths to the scattered cottages. A few 
minutes later the glen was awake with the sounds of shots 
and screams. Campbell and his soldiers were at their 
work. Without mercy men were killed almost in their 
sleep. Those, who were able, fled through the darkness 
and the snow with their wives and children, many of 
them only to die of cold and hunger among the lonely 



A SAD DAY IN A HIGHLAND GLEN 413 

mountains and glens. The soldiers murdered all they 
could, then they set fire to the empty houses and 
marched away, driving before them the cattle and horses 
belonging to the Macdonalds. And when the sun rose 
high over the valley of Glencoe, it shone only on blood- 
stained snow and blackened, smoking ruins, where 
peaceful homes had been but a few hours before. 

For some time Britain and France had been at war, for 
the French King hated William, and would not acknow- 
ledge him as King. William spent a part of every year 
abroad directing this war and ruling Holland. While he 
was gone, Mary ruled in England. She governed so well, 
and was so sweet and gentle, that the people loved her 
dearly. They loved her far more than they loved William, 
who was so quiet and stern as to seem almost sullen. 

But in 1694 a.d., Mary became ill of a very dread- 
ful disease called smallpox, and died in a few days. 
William had loved her very much, and he was very sad 
when she died. * I was the happiest man on earth,' he 
said to one of his friends, * now I am the most miserable. 
She had no fault, none ; you knew her well, but you 
could not know, nobody but myself could know, her 
goodness.' And if the King sorrowed, the whole country 
sorrowed with him. 

After the death of Mary, William ruled alone. 

At last the King of France made peace with William, 
perhaps because he was tired of fighting, perhaps because 
he was a little tired of helping James, who was really 
very dull and stupid. By this peace the French King 
consented to acknowledge WilHam as the rightful King 
of Britain, and to give back the lands he had wrongfully 
taken from Germany and the other countries he had 
been fighting against. 

A few years later James died, and Louis xiii., the 



414 OUR ISLAND STORY 

French King, forgot the promise he had made to 
William. He proclaimed the son of James to be King 
of Britain under the title of James iii. This made the 
British very angry, although it really did not matter 
much. A French King might call James King of 
Britain, but that could not make him so truly. How- 
ever, William wanted to go to war with France again 
for another reason, and this act of the French King 
decided the people to do so. This other reason was that 
the King of Spain had died, and Louis wanted to make 
his own grandson King of Spain, so that France and 
Spain should in time come to be one kingdom. But some 
of the Kings in Europe thought that it would be most 
dangerous to allow this, as then the King of France might 
become too powerful, and want more than ever to take 
lands which did not belong to him. So William and 
the other Kings of Europe formed what was called the 
Grand Alliance, and the war which now began was called 
the War of the Spanish Succession, because the quarrel 
was about who should succeed to the throne of Spain. 

But before war was declared, William died. He had 
always been rather ill although, in spite of that, he had 
both thought and worked hard, and for some time now he 
had been very unwell. One day when he was out riding 
he was thrown from his horse, and broke his collar- 
bone. This might not have hurt a strong man, but 
William was not strong, and a few days later, 8th March 
1702 A.D., he died. 

William was a great and brave man. He did much 
for Britain, yet he was never loved by the people. They 
felt that he was a Dutchman, and that he cared more for 
Holland than for his kingdom of Britain, and that made 
it difficult for them to love him. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX 

ANNE— HOW THE UNION JACK WAS MADE 

WiixiAM and Mary had no children, so Mary's sister, 
Anne, the younger daughter of James ii., succeeded to 
the throne. From the very beginning of her reign 
Britain was at war with France, and indeed not only 
Britain, but all Europe was fighting on one side or the 
other. The British troops were led by a famous soldier 
called Marlborough. He won many battles, the chief of 
which were called Blenheim and Ramillies. This War of 
the Spanish Succession went on for more than ten years, 
till all Europe was weary of fighting, and many places, 
where there had been houses and gardens and green 
fields, were nothing but deserted wildernesses. 

At last a peace was made called the Peace of 
Utrecht. By this treaty Louis acknowledged Anne as 
the rightful Queen of Britain, and also promised to send 
.Tames the Pretender, as the son of James vii. was called, 
out of his kingdom, and not to help him any more. 
Once before, Louis had promised something very like 
this to William, and he did not keep his promise. There 
were other agreements in this treaty, one of them being 
that Britain should keep the strong fortress of Gibraltar 
in Spain, which has belonged to the British ever since. 

Marlborough was a famous soldier, but he was also a 
great statesman, and indeed he and his wife, the Duchess 
of Marlborough, ruled the Queen for many years. He 

415 



416 OUR ISLAND STORY 

was brave and clever, but he was gr'^edy and not quite 
honest. He made many enemies, who succeeded at last 
in having him disgraced, and both he and his wife were 
sent away from court. 

The Duchess had a very bad temper, and she was so 
angry when she had to leave court that she smashed all 
the furniture in her rooms, and threw the Queen's keys 
at the Duke's head, when he was sent to ask for them. 
It was no wonder that the Queen, who was gentle and 
kind, had been afraid of the Duchess, and had been ruled 
by her. 

Other clever men succeeded Marlborough, and another 
clever woman succeeded the Duchess, for Queen Anne 
was not a strong-minded woman, and she allowed herself 
to be ruled and led by favourites and statesmen. Like 
Queen Elizabeth she had many great men around her, and 
although they thought more perhaps of making them- 
selves famous and powerful than of what was best for the 
country, still the country prospered. 

The greatest thing that happened in the reign of 
Anne was the union of the Parliaments of England and 
Scotland. 

Since 1603 a.d., when James vi. of Scotland became 
King of England, there had been very little real union 
between the two countries. For union means ' oneness,' 
and although there had been only one King there had 
been two Parliaments, one in England, and one in Scot- 
land, each making laws. Sometimes the Scotch Parlia- 
ment would make laws which the English Parliament 
thought were dangerous ; sometimes the English Parlia- 
ment would make laws which the Scotch Parliament did 
not like. It almost seemed at times as if the union of 
the crowns had done no good at all, and the two countries 
were ready to quarrel and separate. 



HOW THE UNION JACK WAS MADE 417 

Wise men saw that there could be no real union until 
there was only one Parliament, until English and Scotch 
met and discussed the laws together. Cromwell indeed 
had called English, Scotch, and Irish members to his 
Parliament, but it had been for so short a time, and in 
such troubled days that people had almost forgotten 
about it. 

Even now it was not an easy thing to do, but at last all 
difficulties were smoothed away. It was agreed among 
other things that each country should keep its own law 
courts and its own religion, but that they should have the 
same King, the same Parliament, the same money, and 
the same flag, and that the country should be called 
Great Britain. 

The English flag was a red St. George's cross on a 
white ground. The Scottish flag was a white St. Andrew's 
cross on a blue ground. So to make one flag, the two 
crosses were placed one on the top of the other, and they 
made something very like the Union Jack ; but not 
quite. The Union Jack was not complete until the Irish 
cross of St. Patrick (which is the same as a St. Andrew's 
cross, but was red on a white ground) was added to the 
other two. Then the flag we love was complete. 

The reason we call our flag the Union Jack is because 
James vi. used to sign his name in French — Jacques — 
which sounds very like Jack. His two flags, the English 
and the Scotch, came to be called the Jacks, and when 
the two were made one the flag was called the ' union ' 
Jack. 

When the Queen gave her consent to the act of union, 
as it was named, she called both Lords and Commons 
together, and made a speech to them. ' I desire and 
expect from all my subjects of both nations, that from 
henceforth they act with all possible respect and kindness 

2 D 



418 OUR ISLAND STORY 

to one another, thiit so it may appear to all the world 
they have hearts disposed to become one people. This 
will give me great pleasm*e.' Then the last English 
Parliament rose, and, on 23rd October 1707 a.d., the 
first British Parliament met. 

It was a great state ceremony. Each Scottish lord 
was led to his place by two English lords. Tlie Queen 
in her royal robes made a speech from the throne in which 
she heartily welcomed the new members, and ever since 
that day, in spite of difficulties and troubles, England and 
Scotland have really been one country. 

Queen Anne died on 1st August 1714 a.d. She 
was not a great Queen, yet her reign will always be 
remembered as great. Like Elizabeth, she had clever 
men as her soldiers and advisers ; and, as in the time of 
Elizabeth too, there were many writers whose books are 
still remembered and read. 



r^ 




ST Georges Ckoss. 




ST Andrew's Cross. 





S""^ Patricks Cross. 



^ 


1 


12 


f2 


1 


§ 


Unio 
England 




LAG OF 
GOTLAND. 



CHAPTER XC 

GEORGE I.— THE STORY OF THE EARL OF MAR'S 
HUNTING-PARTY 

Queen Anne was the last of the Stuarts, and her 
husband and all her children died before she did. She 
had no near relatives except her brother, who was called 
the Pretender. He was a Roman Catholic and, therefore, 
could not succeed to the throne ; for, in the time of 
William and Mary, a law had been made that no 
Roman Catholic should ever again wear the crown. 
The people had foreseen that after Queen Anne died, 
there might be quarrels as to who should reign next, 
so that, too, had been settled by law in the time of 
William and JNIary. 

James vi. had a daughter called Elizabeth, who 
married the King of Bohemia, and her grandson, George, 
Elector, or King of Hanover, was the nearest Protestant 
heir to the throne. He was the great-grandson of 
James vi. 

So, as soon as Queen Anne died, George was pro- 
claimed King in England, Scotland, and Ireland, without 
any fighting or quarrelling. But although his grand- 
mother had been British, George himself was as German 
as could be, and he could not even speak a word of 
English. He was fifty-five years old when he came 
to the throne, and was too old ever to learn the English 
language or English ways and manners. 



420 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The Jacobites had never lost hope of having once 
more a Stuart King. Now they felt was the time to 
try. The new King was a German, and the people, 
they thought, would surely rather have a man of their 
own country than an old German to reign over them. 

The Earl of Mar, making believe that he was going 
to have a great hunting-party, asked a number of the 
Highland lords to his house. They came, but soon it 
was seen that it was not deer they meant to hunt, and a 
large army gathered round Lord Mar and the standard of 
James viii., which was the title the Pretender took. In 
their caps they wore his badge of a white cockade or 
rosette. 

The Pretender's standard was of blue silk, having on 
one side the arms of Scotland worked in gold, and on the 
other the Scottish thistle, with the motto. Nemo me 
impune lacessit, which means, ' those who touch me will 
suffer for it.' It had also two streamers of white ribbon, 
on one of which were the words, ' For our wronged King 
and oppressed country,' and on the other, ' For our lives 
and liberties.' There was great rejoicing when the 
standard was unfurled, but scarcely had it been done 
when the golden ball fell from the top of the staff. That 
made the Highlanders very sad, for they were super- 
stitious and thought it meant bad luck. 

* But when our standard was set up, 

So fierce the wind did blow, Willie, 
The golden knop down from the top 

Unto the ground did fa', Willie. 
Then second-sighted Sandy said. 

We '11 dae nae gude at a', Willie ; 
While pipers played frae right to left, 

Fy, furich Whigs awa', Willie.' 

In the north of England, Lord Derwentwater 



THE EARL OF MAR'S HUNTING-PARTY 421 

and another gentleman gathered an army of Jacobites 
and proclaimed James King. But neither Lord Mar 
nor Lord Derwentwater were good generals. Having 
got their soldiers together, they did not seem to know 
what to do with them. So when King George's army 
met Lord Derwentwater's army, the Jacobites yielded 
almost without a struggle. 

In Scotland, the Jacobites, under Lord Mar, and the 
King's soldiers, under the Duke of Argyle, met at a 
place called SherifFmuir, near Dunblane. Lord Mar 
called a council of war and asked his captains, ' Shall 
we fight or shall we go back ? ' 

And all the captains called out, ' Fight ! fight ! ' 

Lord Mar agreed, and they all went to their places. 
No sooner did the Highlanders know that they were to 
fight than a great cheer went through the army, every 
man tossing his cap in the air. Every Scotchman there 
was glad at the opportunity of fighting his old enemies 
the English. 

With broadswords drawn, colours flying, and bag- 
pipes playing, they rushed to battle. But brave and 
fierce though the Highlanders were, they lacked a clever 
leader. So it happened that one half of Mar's soldiers 
beat one half of Argyle's, but the other half of Argyle 's 
beat the other half of Mar's, so each side claimed the 
victory. 

' There 's some say that we wan, 
Some say that they wan, 
Some say that nane wan at a', man ; 
But one thing I 'm sure. 
That at SherifFmuir 
A battle there was, which I saw, man ; 
And we ran, and they ran, and they ran, and we ran, 
And we ran and they ran awa', man.' 

* If we have not gained a victory,' said one Jacobite 



422 OUR ISLAND STORY 

general, *we ought to fight Argyle once a week until 
we make it one.' But Mar did nothing, and James, who 
had promised to come from France, did not arrive. So, 
disappointed and discontented, many of the chieftains 
and their followers went home again. 

But at last James landed. He was greeted with 
great joy, and rode into Dundee with three hundred 
gentlemen behind him. *Now,' thought the Jacobites, 
'we have a King. Now we will be led to battle and 
victory.' 

But they were again disappointed. James was no 
soldier. He was pale, grave, and quiet ; he never smiled, 
and he hardly ever spoke. The men soon began to 
despise him, and to ask if he could fight or even 
speak. 

Day after day passed and nothing happened. 

' What did you call us to arms for ? ' asked the angiy 
Highlanders, ' was it to run away ? ' 

' What did the King come for ? Was it to see his 
people butchered by hangmen, and not strike one blow 
for their lives ? ' 

*Let us die like men, and not like dogs.' 

* If our King is willing to die like a King, there are 
ten thousand gentlemen who are not afraid to die 
with him.' 

But it was of no use. Nothing was done. The 
Pretender, taking the Earl of Mar with him, slunk back 
to France, a beaten man for want of courage to strike a 
blow. And, sad and angry, the Jacobite army melted 
away. Some of the leaders escaped to foreign lands, 
others were taken prisoner to the Tower and afterwards 
beheaded. Among; those was Lord Derwentwater. 

This rebellion is known as * The Fifteen ' because it 
took place in 1715 a.d. 



THE EARL OF MAR'S HUNTING-PARTY 42a 

* O far frae my hame full soon will I be. 
It 's far, far frae hame, in a strange countrie, 
Where I '11 tarry a while, return, and with you be, 
And bring many jolly boys to our ain countrie. 

' I wish you all success till I again you see, 
May the lusty Highland lads fight on and never flee. 
When the King sets foot aground, and returns from 

the sea, 
Then you '11 welcome him hame to his ain countrie. 

' God bless our royal King, from danger keep him free. 
When he conquers all the foes that oppose his Majesty, 
God bless the Duke of Mar and all his cavalry. 
Who first began the war for our King and our countrie. 

' Let the traitor King make haste and out of England flee, 
With all his spurious race come far beyond the sea ; 
Then we will crown our royal King with mirth and jollity. 
And end our days in peace in our ain countrie.' 



CHAPTER XCl 

GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 

George i. died in 1727 a.d., and was succeeded 
by his son, George ii. Like his father he was very 
German, but he could speak a little English. He had a 
very clever wife called Queen Caroline, and she helped 
him to rule. He had also a very clever Prime Minister 
called Walpole. 

Walpole had begun to be powerful under George i., 
and although George ii. did not like him, he still remained 
in power. He was the first ' peace minister ' Britain ever 
had. Instead of urging the King and people to fight, he 
tried in every way he could to keep peace. 

He saw that the best thing for a country was to be at 
peace. He saw that it was best for the people to have 
time to sow and reap, to build ships, to make goods, and 
to trade with other countries, and that they could neither 
have time nor money to do this if they were always 
fighting. So he would not fight, and Britain grew 
prosperous. 

But the people did not all think as Walpole did. A 
quarrel with Spain arose, and, try how he might, Walpole 
could not keep the peace, and war was declared. Strange 
to say, the people rejoiced at the news. They decorated 
their houses, lit bonfires, and rang bells as if some great 
good fortune had befallen the country. ' They may ring 
their bells now,' said Walpole sadly, * but they will soon 



STORY OF BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 425 

be wringing their hands.' The peace which had lasted 
twenty years was broken, and Walpole was quite right 
when he said that the people would soon be wringing 
their hands, for the war with Spain was a miseiable 
failure and brought much trouble and sorrow upon them. 

This war was followed by another called the War of 
the Austrian Succession. The Emperor of Austria died 
leaving his kingdom to his daughter, JNIaria Theresa. 
But some of the kings of Europe thought that they would 
take her lands from her and make their own kingdoms 
greater. To prevent this the British fought for Maria 
Theresa against France and Spain, and George ii. and his 
soldiers defeated the French in a battle called Dettingen. 
This is the last battle in which a British King led his 
soldiers himself People began to see that kings could 
serve their countries in better ways than by fighting. 

While this war was going on the Jacobites tried again 
to set James Stuart upon the throne. This time it was not 
James but his son Charles who landed in Scotland. He 
came with only seven followers, and at first the people 
were afraid and unwilling to follow him. 

But Charles was very different from his father. He 
was gallant, and brave, and handsome. He talked and 
smiled and won his way to the brave Highland hearts till 
he was at the head of fifteen hundred men, all willing and 
ready to die for their King and Prince. 

' Go home,' said one old chieftain to him, when he 
first landed, ' there is no safety for you here.' 

' I have come home,' replied Prince Charlie. 

' Charles Stuart,' he said to another chief, called 
Cameron of Lochiel, ' has come to claim his own and 
win the crown of his ancestors, or die in the attempt. 
Lochiel, if he chooses, may stay at home and learn the 
fate of his Prince from the newspapers.' 



426 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' No,' replied Lochiel, ' no, I will share the fate of 
my Prince, and so shall every man over whom I have 
power.' 

So in a dark Highland glen the standard of the Prince 
was raised. It was of red silk, and on it were the proud 
words, Tandem Triumphans^ which means, * Triumphant 
at last.' And as the red silk folds fluttered out on the 
mountain breeze it was greeted by the sounds of bagpipes 
and the shouts of the people. 

' Then raise the banner, raise it high. 
For Charles we'll conquer or we'll die: 
The clans a' leal and true men be. 
And show me who will daunton thee. 
Our good King James will soon come hame, 
And traitors a' be put to shame ; 
Auld Scotland shall again be free ; 
There 's nane on earth can daunton thee.' 

After the raising of his standard Charles marched 
south till he reached Edinburgh, his army growing as 
he went. Lochiel and his followers marched into 
Edinburgh, and there, at the Market Cross, amid the 
cheering of some of the people and the sullen silence 
of others, James viii. was once more proclaimed King 
of Scotland. A beautiful lady on horseback, with a 
drawn sword in her hand, gave the white cockade to those 
who crushed round her, impatient to enter the service of 
the Prince. 

Later in the day, Charles himself rode into the town 
and the people crowded to meet him, cheering and weep- 
ing, eager to kiss his hand or touch his clothes, covering 
even his boots with tears and kisses. 

The castle of Edinburgh w^as held by the soldiers of 
King George, and as the Prince reached Holyrood, the 
old palace of the Stuarts, a cannon from the castle 



STORY OF BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 427 

thundered out, and a shot struck the wall of the palace 
not far from where Charles stood. But he was neither 
startled nor afraid and, turning, walked quietly into the 
palace. 

That night the Prince gave a ball. The old palace, 
which had stood so long empty and silent, was gay with 
lights and flowers. The sounds of laughter and music 
were heard there, perhaps for the first time since the days 
of the beautiful Mary, Queen of Scots. 

Lovely ladies and brave men crowded to see and do 
honour to their Bonnie Prince Charlie, and they went 
away happy if they had touched his hand or heard his 
voice. 

But there were other things to do besides dancing. 
The army of King George, under Sir John Cope, had 
landed at Dunbar and was marching to Edinburgh. 
Charles decided to march out to meet him. 

Early on the morning of the 20th September, the 
Highlanders rose and made ready for battle. Prince 
Charlie placed himself at their head and, drawing his 
sword, cried, * Gentlemen, I have thrown away the 
scabbard.' By that he meant that there was no turning 
back, and that his sword would never again be sheathed 
until he conquered or died, and the men, hearing the 
words, shouted and cheered as they followed him. 

Next day a battle was fought at Prestonpans, near 
Edinburgh. Prince Charlie and his men were up so 
early that they were ready to attack before Sir John 
Cope and his soldiers were prepared. The Highlanders 
gave them no time to prepare, but charged so fiercely and 
quickly that in about five minutes the battle was over. 
The soldiers of King George ran away and Charles won 
a complete victory. Sir John ran away too, and was the 
first to bring the news of his own defeat to Berwick. 



428 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar, 
" Charlie, meet me an ye daur, 
And I '11 learn ye the art of war, 
If ye '11 meet me in the morning." 

' Hey ! Johnnie Cope, are ye waking yet ? 
And are your drums a-beating yet ? 
Oh, haste ye up, for the drums do beat, 
Oh fye. Cope, rise up in the morning. 

* When Charlie looked the letter upon, 
He drew his sword the scabbard from, 

" Come, follow me, my merry merry men, 
And we '11 meet Johnnie Cope in the morning.'' 

' When Johnnie Cope to Berwick came 
They speired at him, " Where 's a' your men ? " 
" In faith," say he, " I dinna ken, 
I left them a' this morning." 

* Now, Johnnie, troth ye were na blate, 
To come wi' the news o' your ain defeat, 
And leave your men in sic a strait 

So early in the morning.' 

A few hours after the battle the Highlanders were 
back in Edinburgh marching up and down the streets 
playing, ' The King shall enjoy his own again,' on the 
bagpipes. All the Jacobites rejoiced and thought that 
they had really triumphed at last. 



CHAPTER XCII 

GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF FLORA MACDONALD 

'To your arms ! to your arms ! Charlie yet shall be your King. 
To your arms ! all ye lads that are loyal and true. 
To your arms ! to your arms ! his valour nane can ding. 
And he's on to the south wi' a jovial crew. 

* For master Johnnie Cope, being destitute of hope, 
Took horse for his life and left his men ; 
In their arms he put no trust, for he knew it was just 
That the King should enjoy his own again, 

' To your arms ! to your arms ! my bonny highland lads. 
We winna brook the rule o' a German thing. 
To your arms ! to your arms ! wi' your bonnets and your plaids. 
And hey for Charlie and our ain true King.' 

After the Battle of Prestonpans, Charles returned to 
Edinburgh and remained there for some days gathering 
men and money. It was a gay time. There were 
constant balls and parties, and Bonnie Prince Charlie was 
loved more and more each day. The Bonnie Prince, 
who ' could eat a dry crust, sleep on peas-straw, take his 
dinner in four minutes, and win a battle in five,' was 
toasted everywhere. 

At last Charles and his army were ready and they 
marched into England. But although no one resisted 
him, although he took several towns without a blow 
being struck, hardly any of the English joined him. The 



430 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Highlanders grew weary of marching through strange 
country, and home-sick for their mountains, and many of 
them deserted and went home. By the time Charles 
reached Derby, his troops were so disheartened that he 
was obliged to turn back to Scotland. Yet the people 
in London were awaiting his coming in terror, and King 
George was ready to run away. 

It is difficult to guess what might have happened had 
the Prince gone on. But he did not. He turned again 
towards Scotland, and began the long, sad march home- 
ward. 

The wearied army reached Glasgow at last, having 
walked six hundred miles through snow and rain and 
wintry weather in less than two months. 

Charles now decided to take Stirling Castle. He met 
the King's army at Falkirk and defeated them, but after 
that, instead of trying to take Stirling, as he had intended, 
he listened to the advice of some of the Highland chiefs 
and marched northward. 

As Charles had defeated two generals, King George 
now sent his own son, the Duke of Cumberland, to com- 
mand his army. At CuUoden, near Inverness, the last 
Jacobite battle was fought. The royal army was much 
larger than the Jacobite one, and although the High- 
landers fought with all their usual fierce courage, they 
were utterly defeated. Charles would have been glad to 
die with his brave followers, but two of his officers seized 
the bridle of his horse and forced him against his will to 
leave the field. The battle was turned into a terrible 
slaughter, for the Duke of Cumberland behaved so cruelly 
to the beaten rebels that ever after he was called the 
Butcher. 

The Stuart cause was lost, and Bonnie Prince Charlie 
was a hunted man. The King offered £30,000 to any 



THE STORY OF FLORA MACDONALD 431 

one who would take him prisoner. But although the 
money would have made many a poor Highlander richer 
than he had ever imagined it possible for any one to be, 
not one of them tried to earn it. Instead, they hid their 
Prince, fed him, clothed him, and worked for him. At 
last, after months of hardships and adventures, he escaped 
to France. 

Many people helped Prince Charles, but it was 
a beautiful lady, called Flora Macdonald, who perhaps 
helped him most. She served him when he was most 
miserable and in greatest danger. The whole country 
round was filled with soldiers searching for him. He 
scarcely dared to leave his hiding-place, and was almost 
dying of hunger. No house was safe for him, and he had 
to hide among the rocks by the seashore, shivering with 
cold and drenched with rain. 

With great difficulty and danger to herself, Flora 
Macdonald reached the place where the Prince was 
hiding, bringing with her a dress for him to wear. The 
Prince put it on, and together they went to the house 
of a friend, where Flora asked if she and her maid, 
' Betty,' might stay that night. This friend was very fond 
of Flora, and very glad to see her. She was a Jacobite, 
and when she was told who * Betty ' was she made ready 
her best room for the Prince. A little girl belonging to 
the house came into the hall while Betty was standing 
there, and ran away quite frightened at the great tall 
woman, but no one suspected who she was. 

Disguised as Flora Macdonald's maid, Prince Charlie 
travelled for many days, escaping dangers in a wonderful 
way. For the Prince made a very funny -looking woman. 
He took great strides, and managed his skirts so badly 
that, in spite of the danger, his friends could not help 
laughing. * They do call your Highness a Pretender,' 



432 OUR ISLAND STORY 

said one. * All 1 can say is that you are the worst of your 
trade the world has ever seen.' 

When there was no need for Flora to go further 
with the Prince, they took a sad farewell of each other. 
* I hope, madam,' said he, bending over her hand and 
kissing it, * we shall yet meet at St. James's.' By that he 
meant that he still hoped to be King some day, and 
welcome her in his palace of St. James's in London. Then 
he stepped into the boat which was waiting for him, and 
Flora sat sadly by the shore, watching it as it sailed 
farther and farther away. 

' Far over yon hills of the heather so green, 
And down by the corrie that sings to the sea. 
The bonnie young Flora sat sighing her lane. 
The dew on her plaid and the tear in her e'e. 
She looked at a boat which the breezes had swung. 
Away on the wave like a bird on the main ; 
And aye as it lessened, she sighed and she sang. 
Farewell to the lad I shall ne'er see again ; 
Farewell to my hero, the gallant and young. 
Farewell to the lad I shall ne'er see again. 

' The target is torn from the arm of the just, 
The helmet is cleft on the brow of the brave. 
The claymore for ever in darkness must rust. 
But red is the sword of the stranger and slave ; 
The hoof of the horse and the foot of the proud 
Have trod o'er the plumes in the bonnet of blue. 
Why slept the red bolt in the heart of the cloud 
When tyranny revell'd in blood of the true ? 
Farewell, my young hero, the gallant and good ! 
The crown of thy fathers is torn from thy brow.' 

This rebellion is called * The Forty-five ' because it 
took place in 1745 a.d. «#?% 

Prince Charlie reached France safely, but the ^st of 
his life was sad. He was a broken, ruined man, and Hie 
lived a wanderer in many lands. At last, he died in 




They took a sad farewell of each other. 



THE STORY OF FLORA MACDONALD 433 

Rome, on 30th. January 1788 a.d., the anniversary of the 
day on which Charles i. had been beheaded. 

In St. Peter's at Rome there is a monument, placed 
there, it is said, by King George iv., upon which are the 
names, in Latin, of James iii., Charles iii., and Henry ix., 
kings of England. They were kings who never ruled, 
and are known in history as the Old Pretender, the 
Young Pretender, and Henry, Cardinal of York, brother 
of the Young Pretender. 



2 E 



CHAPTER XCIII 

GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF THE BLACK HOLE 
OF CALCUTTA 

Besides the civil war, Britain had other wars to fight. 
France, England's old enemy, was still the enemy of 
Britain. Once again there was war between them, and 
this time the fighting was not in France, nor in England, 
nor on the seas, but in far-off lands. 

Long ago, in the days of Elizabeth, you remember 
that Englishmen sailed over the seas to the newly-dis- 
covered country of America, and made their home there. 
You remember how Raleigh claimed Virginia for Eng- 
land, and how later the stern Puritans sailed away in the 
Mayflower^ and founded a new Plymouth and a New 
England over the sea. Little by little these colonies 
(as such new countries which are peopled by an old 
country are called) grew. Towns sprang up, harbours 
were built, and the colonies became a rich and powerful 
part of Great Britain. 

In another country, called India, Britain had also 
possessions, and trade with India had become of great 
importance, and was carried on chiefly by a company 
called the East India Company. 

But France, too, had colonies in India and in America, 
and the French and the British became so jealous of each 
other that war broke out in both countries. The French 



THE BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA 435 

were much stronger in India at this time than the British, 
and they made up their minds to drive the British away 
altogether. They might have succeeded too, but for the 
cleverness of a young man called Robert Clive. He 
was a clerk in the East India Company's office, and not a 
particularly good clerk either, because the work he had to 
do was not at all the kind of work for which he was fitted. 

When war broke out Robert Clive gave up being a 
clerk and became a soldier, and he soon showed that he 
was a clever one. Some of the native Indians fought 
for the French and some for the British. But Clive 
and his sepoys, as the native soldiers were called, won, 
and the French governor was obliged to leave the 
country. 

A few years later, one of the native princes who 
had fought for the French, attacked the British who 
were living in Calcutta. He killed many of them, 
destroyed their houses and factories, and those who 
were left alive he shut up in a horrible prison called 
the Black Hole. 

There were one hundred and forty-six prisoners, and 
the Black Hole was so small that there was hardly 
room in it for them to stand. The windows were so 
tiny that hardly any air could come through them. 
When the prisoners were told that they v/^ere all to 
go into this dreadful place they could not believe it. 
They thought at first that the Prince meant it as a 
jest. But they soon found out that it was no jest, 
but horrible, sinful earnest. In spite of their cries 
and entreaties, they were all driven in and the door 
fastened. 

It was a hot summer night. What little air came 
through the tiny windows was soon poisoned by being 
breathed over and over again. People fainted, went 



436 OUR ISLAND STORY 

mad, died. The cruel Indians held torches to the win- 
dows and, looking in, laughed at the terrible sufferings 
of the poor prisoners, who cried for mercy as they beat 
upon the door trying vainly in their agony to break it 
down. In the morning, only twenty-three came out 
from the dreadful Hole alive. 

When Clive heard of this horrible deed, he marched 
against the native Prince, and utterly defeated him 
in a battle called Plassey. He drove him from his 
throne, and placed another Prince, who was friendly 
to the English, upon it; he drove the French from 
their fortress there, and ever since then the power of 
Britain has grown and grown in India, until to-day our 
King, the King of Great Britain and Ireland, is also 
the Emperor of India. 



CHAPTER XCIV 

GEORGE II.— THE STORY OF HOW CANADA WAS WON 

While these things were happening in India, the French 
and British were fighting in America also. 

The French colonies there were called Canada and 
Louisiana. Canada lay north of the British colonies, 
beyond the St. Lawrence river. Louisiana lay west of 
the British colonies, beyond the Mississippi river. If you 
look on the map, you will see that in this way the British 
colonies were quite shut in by the sea and by the French 
on all sides. 

This did not please the British. They wanted to be 
able to enlarge their colonies and to stretch out to the 
west, to the great forests and unknown land beyond 
Louisiana. The French, on the other hand, hoped to 
drive the British away from America altogether, and they 
built forts along the rivers and lakes to keep them as far 
as possible from the west. There were many quarrels, 
which grew more and more bitter, till at last war 
broke out. 

At first the British were not successful. But just as 
Walpole had been a great peace minister, so William 
Pitt, who was now in power, was a great war minister. 
He was quick to see what needed to be done, and just 
as quick in choosing the best men to do it. He did not 
ask whether a man was rich or powerful, or whether he 
had great relations. He asked, ' Is this the best man I 

437 



438 OUR ISLAND STORY 

can find to do this piece of work ? ' So it came about 
that at this time the British all over the world were 
successful. 

Among the men whom Pitt sent to fight in America 
was a young man called James Wolfe. Wolfe was sent 
from England with eight thousand soldiers, and was told 
that he must take Quebec, the capital of Canada. He 
reached Canada and sailed up the St. Lawrence, greatly 
to the surprise of the French, for it was a very difficult 
passage, full of rocks and banks of sand. Yet Wolfe 
took his great war-ships where the French would have 
feared to venture with their little trading vessels. He 
anchored opposite Quebec, and landed his soldiers on the 
island of Orleans. 

Quebec was a very strong town. It was built upon 
rocks high above the river, and was defended by the 
great French general, Montcalm. 

For a long time Wolfe tried in vain to take the town. 
Montcalm was too clever and watchful. Day by day 
passed, and Wolfe grew ill with care and weariness. 
Many of his soldiers were killed, and the fresh troops 
which he expected did not arrive. At last he decided 
upon a bold and daring plan. 

There was one place which the French did not guard 
very strongly, because they thought that it was quite im- 
possible for the British to attack them there. This was 
a steep cliff. But Wolfe had noticed that there was a 
narrow pathway up this cliff, and he decided to take his 
soldiers by that path. But he felt so doubtful of success, 
that he wrote a sad letter home before he made the 
attempt. ' I have done little for my country,' he said, 
' I have little hope of doing anything, but I have done 
my best.' 

One dark night the British soldiers were rowed over 



STORY OF HOW CANADA WAS WON 439 

the river. No one spoke, every one moved as quietly as 
possible. The oars even were muffled, so that the sound 
of the rowing might not be heard by the French. Only 
Wolfe, as his boat went silently down the river, re- 
peated a poem to his officers in a low voice. The poem 
was called ' An Elegy in a Country Churchyard,' and 
it had been written a few years before by an English poet 
called Gray. 

* The curfew tolls the parting knell of day, 
The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea, 
The plowman homeward plods his weary way, 
And leaves the world to darkness and to me. 

' Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight. 
And all the air a solemn stillness holds. 
Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, 
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds.' 

That is how the poem begins. It is a long poem, and 
very beautiful, and, when Wolfe had finished repeating 
it, he turned to his officers and said, ' Now, gentlemen, 
I would rather be the author of that poem than take 
Quebec' 

The boat reached the Quebec side of the river, and 
Wolfe was among the first to spring ashore. Silently, 
quickly, with beating hearts and held breath, the men 
followed. Then as silently and quickly the boats put off 
again, for there had been room in them only for half the 
soldiers, and they returned to bring the rest. 

The climb up the narrow pathway began. It was so 
narrow in places that only one could go at a time. But 
every man was full of courage and hope. They struggled 
up as best they could, clinging on to bushes, rocks, roots 
of trees, anything that would give them the least grip 
for hand or rest for foot. A regiment of Highlanders 



440 OUR ISLAND STORY 

were among the first to lead the way, for they were used 
to scrambhng and climbing among the rocks of their 
home-land. 

Nearer and nearer to the top they came, unseen and 
unheard by the French sentinels above. But at last the 
rustling among the bushes and leaves down the slope 
caught their ear. * What was that ? ' they asked, and fired 
at random down into the darkness. But it was too late, 
the first soldiers had reached the height, others followed 
after them, and, terrified at the sudden appearance of 
men where they thought no men could be, the French 
sentinels ran away. 

As soon as the British reached the top, they fell into 
fighting order, and when day broke, the sun shone on 
their red coats as they stood drawn up in line upon the 
heights of Abraham, as the place was called. 

At first the French leader, Montcalm, could hardly 
believe that he saw aright. Then he said quietly, ' I see 
them where they ought not to be. We must fight them, 
and I am going to crush them.' 

A fierce battle followed. Wolfe was struck in the 
wrist, but he tied his handkerchief round it and went on 
fighting and giving orders, as if nothing had happened. 
A second time he was hit. Still he went on. A third 
shot struck him in the breast. Then he sank to the 
ground with a groan. 

Wolfe was quickly carried out of the fight, but nothing 
could be done for him. He was dying. His officers 
stood sadly round him, when suddenly one of them cried, 
* See, they run, they run.' 

* Who run?' asked Wolfe, opening his eyes and trying 
to raise himself. 

* The enemy, sir,' replied the officer, ' they are running 
everywhere.' 



STORY OF HOW CANADA WAS WON 441 

* Thank God,' said Wolfe, * I die happy.' Then he 
fell back and never spoke again. 

The brave French leader, Montcalm, was also killed 
in this battle. ' So much the better,' he said, when he 
was told that he was dying. ' I shall not live to see 
Quebec surrender.' 

Quebec did surrender, and Canada was won, and ever 
.since then it has belonged to Britain, and to-day it is one 
of the greatest of her colonies. 

A few days after Wolfe's sad letter reached home, 
another both sad and joyful followed. It told of the 
taking of Quebec ; it told, too, of the death of the brave 
young leader. 

' Not once or twice in our fair island story, 
The path of duty was the way to glory : 
He, that ever following her commands. 
On with toil of heart and knees and hands. 
Thro' the long gorge to the far light has won 
His path upward, and prevail'd. 
Shall find the toppling crags of Duty scaled 
Are close upon the shining table-lands 
To which our God Himself is moon and sun. 
Such was he : his work is done. 
But while the races of mankind endure. 
Let his great example stand 
Colossal, seen of every land, 
And keep the soldier firm, the statesman pure : 
Till in all lands and thro' all human story, 
The path of duty be the way to glory.' 



CHAPTER XCV 

GEORGE III.— THE STORY OF HOW AMERICA WAS LOST 

George ii. died in October 1759 a.d., and was succeeded 
by his grandson George iii., whose father, the Prince of 
Wales, had died some years before. 

George iii. had been born in England, and seemed 
more of an Englishman than either George i. or 
George ii. For that reason, and because he was young 
and handsome, the people were glad when he came to 
the throne. But he proved himself to be an unwise 
King, and it was during his reign that Britain suffered a 
great loss — the loss of all the American colonies except 
Canada. 

The wars which Britain had been fighting all over the 
world had cost a great deal of money. When Pitt saw a 
thing needed to be done he did not stop to ask how much 
it would cost — he did it, and afterwards the country had 
to find ways and means of paying. War always costs a 
great deal, and the country had been fighting so much 
that it was now deeply in debt. The King's ministers, 
therefore, had to find some new way of raising money. 
It seemed to them that, as the war in America had been 
for the benefit of the colonies, the colonists ought to pay 
some of the cost. This being so, King George decided to 
tax the Americans. 

You know what a tax means. If a certain thing 



STORY OF HOW AMERICA WAS LOST 443 

costs one shilling a pound, and the Government said, ' We 
will put a tax of twopence a pound on this thing,' then 
it would cost one shilling and twopence, and the extra 
twopence would go to Government to help to pay the 
expenses of the country. For it requires money to keep 
up a country just as much as to keep up a house. 

You also know that the King could not make the 
people pay taxes without the consent of Parliament. 
That was a right for which the people and Parliament had 
fought over and over again, and which they had won at 
last. And if Parliament consented to a tax, it was really 
the people who consented, as the members of Parliament 
were chosen by the people. 

Now the people of America sent no members to the 
British Parliament. When King George tried to make 
them pay taxes, they at once said, 'No, that is not just. 
It is against the laws of Britain. If we are to pay taxes 
we must be allowed to send members to Parliament as 
England and Scotland do. If we are to pay taxes we 
must have a share in making the laws, and saying how 
the money is to be spent.' 

This was quite reasonable, but King George was not 
reasonable. He said, ' No.' 

The Americans were very angry at this, and they 
made up their minds to do without the things which the 
King wanted to tax. This was very hard for them, 
especially as one of the things taxed was tea. You 
can imagine how difficult it would be to do without 
tea. 

While these things were happening, the great Pitt had 
been ill. When he was well again, and heard what 
George iii. and his foolish ministers had been doing, he 
was very angry. He said the Americans were quite 
right, and he talked so fiercely that all the taxes 



444 OUR ISLAND STORY 

were taken off again, except the one on tea. George 
insisted on keeping that on. He was very angry with 
both Pitt and the Americans. He called them rebels, 
and Pitt the ' trumpet of rebellion.' 

But the Americans would not yield even to one tax. 
There were meetings all over the States, and the young 
men banded themselves together under the name of ' The 
Sons of Liberty.' They swore to do anything rather 
than use taxed tea. 

At last ships arrived in Boston harbour laden with 
tea. The Americans knew that if once that tea got 
ashore it would be very difficult to keep the people 
from buying it. They determined that it should not 
be landed. 

While some of the wise people were talking and 
advising each other as to what should be done, about 
twenty young men dressed themselves as Red Indians. 
They painted their faces brown, stuck feathers in 
their hair, and put on clothes such as Red Indians 
wore. 

Red Indians are the natives of America and, although 
they have nearly died out now, in those days it was quite 
common to see them even in the towns. 

With wild war - whoops these make - believe Red 
Indians ran to the harbour. They sprang on board the 
tea-ships, they seized the chests, opened them with their 
hatchets, and poured the tea into the water. Chest after 
chest, chest after chest was burst open, and the tea 
poured over the ship's side, till three hundred and forty- 
two chests had been emptied, and the harbour was black 
with tea leaves. 

Many an honest merchant looked sadly on, many a 
thrifty housewife sighed to see the waste, but no one 
stopped the work. It was the greatest tea-making that 



STORY OF HOW AMERICA WAS LOST 445 

had ever been seen, and for long after it was called the 
' Boston Tea-Party.' 

When King George heard about this tea-party he 
was very angry. To punish the people of Boston he for- 
bade any ships to go there at all, so that the trade of the 
town was ruined, and the people became quite poor. He 
sent soldiers to frighten them into obedience, and did 
many other things in order to punish the rebels. 

But the Americans would not bear such treatment, 
and they talked of war. King George seemed to be quite 
pleased at the idea of fighting the Americans. ' We will 
soon bring them to their senses,' he said ; ' they will only 
behave like lions as long as we behave like lambs. I will 
show them that I mean to be firm, and they will soon be 
meek enough.' But the Americans were not meek at 
all. They made ready to fight. 

Soon twenty thousand colonists were in arms, and 
George Washington, a young soldier, who had already 
shown his bravery and skill in fighting against the French, 
was their leader. The war began in the year 1775 a.d., 
and it was quite as dreadful as a civil war. The colonists 
looked upon Britain as their mother-country, they talked 
of it as * home,' and now for want of a little kindly feel- 
ing and understanding between them, mother and children 
were fighting bitterly. 

As time went on, the Americans became more and 
more determined not to give in. On the 4th of July 
1776 A.D., they very solemnly made their Declaration of 
Independence. ' We, the representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, appealing to 
the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our 
intentions, solemnly publish and declare that these United 
States are, and of right ought to be. Free and Indepen- 
dent States.' This means that the Americans felt that 



446 OUR ISLAND STORY 

they were doing right and not wrong in fighting against 
the mother-country. They felt that they ought to be 
free, and they declared that they were free and indepen- 
dent. Independent means standing alone. 

While the war was being carried on in the States, at 
home Pitt, the great war minister, who was now called 
Lord Chatham, was struggling for peace. He had 
worked very hard to make Britain great, and to make the 
colonies great. Now, he saw that all his work was to be 
ruined by civil war, and he tried to stop it. ' You cannot 
conquer America,' he said. ' They are of our own blood. 
If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, I would 
never lay down my arms — never, never, never.' 

But the King and his fidends would not listen to Pitt, 
and the war went on. Then a worse thing happened. 
France joined America against Britain. Britain, by driv- 
ing the French out of America, had given the Americans 
peace. Now, Britain's old enemy had joined with her 
own people against her. That was the worst blow of all. 
It frightened the Parliament, and some members wanted 
to acknowledge the freedom of America. 

Old and ill although he was when Pitt heard of it, he 
rose from his bed, and once more went to speak in the 
House. His voice was weak and feeble as he spoke. 
' I am glad,' he said, ' that I am still alive and able to lift 
up my voice against breaking up the empire.' 

Pitt had wanted to give the Americans what they 
asked for, but now he wanted to fight with France. 
France, he felt, had no right in the quarrel. He would 
not yield to French threats what had been refused to 
America alone. 

But Pitt was old and feeble, the excitement of speak- 
ing was too much for the great statesman. He fell 
senseless to the ground, and was carried home to die. 



STORY OF HOW AMERICA WAS LOST 447 

Then not only France but Spain joined with America, 
and at last the bitter end came. Britain was obliged to 
give way, and, in 1782 a.d., after a war which had 
lasted nearly eight years, the United States were ac- 
knowledged to be a free and independent country, and 
Britain lost all her possessions in North America except 
Canada. 



CHAPTER XCVI 

GEORGE III.— A STORY OF THE SPINNING-WHEEL 

While Britain was fighting and losing a great colony, 
another battle was being fought and won. This was a 
peaceful battle — the battle of industries and inventions. 
To invent really means to find out, and people were now 
finding out all kinds of things which made living much 
more easy and comfortable. 

The two chief things which were found out about this 
time were, first, how to spin cotton, wool, and linen by 
machinery instead of by hand ; second, how to use steam 
to make this machinery work, and how to make it draw 
trains along lines and carry ships over the sea. 

Before spinning-frames were invented, women used to 
spin with wheels in their own homes. But that was such 
slow work that the weavers could not get enough yarn to 
keep their looms going, and because of that they could 
not make as much cloth as they might otherwise have 
done. They grumbled so much about this that clever 
people began to wonder if it would be possible to spin 
in some quicker way. Among these clever people was 
a man called Richard Arkwright. 

Richard Arkwright's father and mother were very 
poor and they had a great many children — thirteen in all, 
and of those thirteen Richard was the youngest. As 
Richard's father and mother were so poor and had so 

448 



A STORY OF THE SPINNING-WHEEL 449 

many children they had no money to spend in sending 
them to school, and in those days there were no free 
schools. So Richard hardly knew how to read or write. 
What he did know he taught himself with the help of an 
uncle who was very kind to him. 

When Richard grew up he became a barber. He 
rented a little cellar and there he stuck up his red and 
white pole which is the sign of a barber's shop. Then he 
waited for people to come to have their hair cut and to be 
shaved. 

But for some reason or other very few people came. 
Perhaps it was because Richard's shop was little and dark 
and down stairs. Perhaps it was because he was always 
thinking of other things and so did not make a very good 
barber. Whatever the reason was, few people came and 
Richard became poorer and poorer. 

At last he had a great idea. If people would not 
come to be shaved for two pence, which was the usual 
price, why then he would shave them for one penny, and 
in this way cut out all the other barbers. So he wrote a 
big sign and pasted it over his doorway. ' Come to the 
Subterraneous Barber. He shaves for a penny ! ! ' Subter- 
raneous means underground. It was not long before some 
people saw this sign. ' Hullo ! ' they said, ' what is this ? 
Shave for a penny ? Well, there is no harm in trying.' 

So they tried, and Richard's shop became the fashion. 
It was crowded, while those of the other barbers were 
empty. 

The other barbers were very angry. But what was 
to be done ? People were not likely to pay two pence, 
when they could be shaved for one penny. 

But at last the barbers all agreed that they, too, should 
put up signs saying that they shaved for one penny. 
Richard, however, did not mean to lose all the trade 

2 F 



450 OUR ISLAND STORY 

which he had gained. He wrote out a new sign, ' Come 
to the Subterraneous Barber. He shaves for a half- 
penny ! ! ' So he was still the cheapest barber in the 
town. But shaving for a halfpenny did not pay very well. 

At this time nearly every one wore wigs. Even 
people who had hair enough of their own cut it short and 
wore wigs of long hair, tied behind with ribbon, as you 
can see in the picture. 

Arkwright found out how to dye hair different colours, 
so he left off shaving, and travelled about the country 
buying hair from people who were willing to sell it. 
Then he dyed it to the fashionable colour, and made it 
into wigs for fine gentleman. This paid very much 
better than shaving people for a halfpenny, and soon 
Arkwright's hair was known to be the best in the country. 
He got on so well that he gave up his little shop in the 
cellar and took a better one. 

But Richard was not really interested in making wigs. 
What he really liked was machinery, and he spent all his 
spare time making models of a spinning-frame. He 
got a man called Kay, who was a watchmaker, to help 
him, and Richard soon became so interested in his 
machinery that he neglected his business and became 
quite poor again. 

Richard's wife, finding that they were growing poorer 
and poorer, thought that this was all the fault of the 
models, so one day she smashed them, hoping her 
husband would then go back to his wig-making. Richard 
was very grieved when he found his beautiful models 
broken, but far from giving up, he became even more 
determined to go on making models. He was so poor 
by this time, and his clothes were in such rags that 
he could not go out in the streets. 

Richard got leave to set up his machine in a school- 




'RICHARD'S SHOP SOON BECAME THE FASHION' 



A STORY OF THE SPINNING-WHEEL 451 

house. The house was in a quiet place surrounded by a 
garden, so that Arkwright and Kay could work in peace. 
This was very necessary, for Richard Arkwright's wife was 
not the only person who wished to smash models or even 
machinery itself. The work-people were very ignorant, 
and they hated these new inventions which they thought 
were going to take away their work. They hated them 
so much that, when the new inventions came into use, 
the work-people often broke into the factories and 
wrecked the machines. 

But even in his quiet garden, Richard was not quite 
safe, for two old women who lived not far off could hear 
the whirring and the humming of the machinery. They 
were very frightened at these new strange noises which 
they thought must be made by evil spirits. They told 
people that the sound was as if the wicked one was tuning 
his bagpipes while Arkwright and Kay danced a jig. 
The people would have broken into the house to see what 
really was there, but they were too much afraid of the 
evil spirits. 

At last Arkwright conquered all his difficulties. His 
spinning-frame was a success and although his troubles 
did not end for a long time, he at last made a great 
fortune and died Sir Richard Arkwright. He not only 
made a great fortune for himself, but he helped to make 
Britain wealthy. After Arkwright's invention came into 
use, the looms could make so much cloth that the 
merchants had enough not only to supply Britain, but to 
sell to other countries. Britain began to be called the 
workshop of the world, and a few years later, a great 
Frenchman called us ' a nation of shopkeepers,' a name 
of which we have no reason to be ashamed. 

Other men besides Arkwright invented spinning- 
frames, but I have told you about Arkwright because 



452 OUR ISLAND STORY 

his was the first really successful frame, and the machines 
which are used to-day are almost the same as those he 
invented. 

Arkwright built mills and taught his work-people how 
to use the machines, and from his time the great factories 
began to grow up which now give work to so many people, 
and which have made so many towns rich and famous. 
Arkwright's frames were first worked by water, so that a 
factory could only be built near a stream. But later, 
when Watt and Stephenson discovered the power of 
steam, they were worked by steam. 

When Watt and Stephenson made their engines 
and built railways, when British steamships carrying 
British goods sailed proudly over the seas, Britain was 
more than ever mistress of the waves, and she was also 
the workshop and the market of the world. 



CHAPTER XCVII 

GEORGE III.— ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN 
WILL DO HIS DUTY 

' This island loves thee wellj thou famous man, 
The greatest sailor since our world began/ 

In 1789 A.D. a revolution broke out in France. The 
French people rose against their King and Queen and 
killed them and many of the nobles as well. Then they 
declared the country to be a Commonwealth or Republic 
as the English had done in the time of Cromwell. 

At this time William Pitt the younger, son of the 
great William Pitt, Lord Chatham, was Prime Minister. 
He, unlike his father, was a peace minister. Britain 
with her new factories and new trade was growing 
wealthy, and Pitt tried hard to keep the country at peace. 
But he tried in vain, for France declared war. Once 
more, for nearly twenty years, Britain was fighting by 
land and by sea. 

The French were led by Napoleon Bonaparte. He 
was one of the most wonderful men who have ever lived. 
Beginning life as a poor unknown soldier, he soon rose to 
be leader of the French army. He rose and rose until 
the people made him Emperor of France. His one desire 
was to be great and powerful, and he did not care how 
others suffered or how many people were killed so long as 
he had what he wanted. He made war all over Europe. 
He conquered kings and gave away their thrones and 



454 OUR ISLAND STORY 

crowns to his own friends and relatives, and only the 
British were strong enough to stand against him. 

Napoleon made up his mind to conquer Britain. He 
raised an army which he called the Army of England, 
and he made a medal in honour of the conquest of Britain 
which never took place, and engraved upon the medal, 
* Struck at London,' although he never reached there. 
It was like Caligula and his army gathering shells on 
the shore, for Napoleon and his men came no nearer 
conquering Britain than those old Romans did. 

Many of the Irish hated the English and would have 
been glad to help the French. Napoleon knew this, and 
he decided that Ireland was the best place at which to 
begin the attack. He fitted out a great fleet with the 
intention of landing in Ireland. But his ships were 
shattered by the winds as the ships of the Armada had 
been, and nothing came of this invasion. A little later 
the French really did land in Ireland, but the King's 
army was ready for them and they were forced to go 
away again. 

Up till this time Ireland had still a separate Parliament, 
just as Scotland had before 1707 a.d. Ireland made laws 
for itself, and in fact, except that it had the same King 
as Britain, there was no union between the countries. 
Pitt and other wise men felt that this was not right. 
They saw how much more difficult it would be for 
Napoleon to conquer Ireland if it was really united to 
England and Scotland. So they worked hard till at last 
it was arranged that the Irish Parliament should join the 
British. 

In January 1801 a.d., the first Imperial Parliament 
was called, and since then, English, Irish and Scottish 
members have sat together in the same House and have 
made the laws for the whole land. 



EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY 455 

On the 1st of January, King George made a pro- 
clamation saying that his title should now be, ' George iii., 
by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great 
Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith.' For 
the first time since the days of Henry v. the King of 
Britain no longer called himself King of France too. For 
in spite of the fact that the Kings of Britain had never 
really been Kings of France, they had always claimed the 
crown of France as a right. The great seal was also 
changed, and the royal standard, instead of bearing the 
arms of England and the Jieur de lis of France, now bore 
the arms of England, Scotland and Ireland. 

Meanwhile British ships under the great sailor Nelson 
were victorious by sea, and on land British soldiers 
hindered and spoiled Napoleon's plans. At last, as every 
one was tired of the war, peace was signed. 

But peace did not last long. The following year war 
broke out again and Napoleon threatened once more to 
invade Britain. But the British built watch - towers 
and beacons along the coast so that warning could be 
sent from town to town if the dreaded tyrant should 
come. The young men drilled as volunteers to guard 
their homes. Every one was ready for the ogre Napoleon 
who never came. 

While these preparations were being made at home. 
Nelson swept the seas searching for the French and 
Spanish navies, and at last they met in Trafalgar Bay, off 
the coast of Spain. 

A few days before they met. Nelson wrote to a friend, 
* Here I am watching for the French and the Spaniards 
like a cat after the mice. If they come out, I know I 
shall catch them ; but I am also almost sure that I shall 
be killed in doing it.' 

On the 21st October 1805 a.d., the battle began. 



456 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Every captain in the fleet had received his orders and 
knew exactly what to do. But Nelson felt there was 
still something wanting, and, from the top-gallant mast of 
his own ship the Victory, a message was signalled through 
all the fleet, ' England expects that every man will do his 
duty.' The message was greeted with cheer upon cheer 
from every ship along the line, and every sailor felt his 
courage rise. 

The battle soon became fierce — shot and shell flew 
thick and fast. Once as Nelson and Hardy, the captain 
of the Victory, stood on deck together, a shot fell between 
them tearing off* one of Captain Hardy's shoe buckles. 
Each looked at the other fearing he was wounded. Then 
seeing neither of them were hurt. Nelson smiled and said 
calmly, ' This is too warm work. Hardy, to last long.' 

Everything went well with the British. Already it 
seemed as if the victory was sure, when a chance shot 
struck Nelson and he fell forward on the deck. 

' They have done for me at last, Hardy,' he said, as 
some sailors, seeing their dear admiral fall, ran forward to 
carry him to a safe place. As Nelson was being carried 
past those who were fighting, he covered his face and the 
stars and medals on his coat in case they should see that 
he was wounded and feel discouraged, for his sailors loved 
him dearly. 

The great admiral was dying fast, but before he died 
Hardy was able to bring him the news that victory was 
theirs and that fourteen or fifteen of the enemies' ships 
had surrendered. 

'I hope,' said Nelson, 'that none of our ships have 
struck their colours.' 

' No, my Lord, there is no fear of that.' 

' That 's well ! that 's well I ' he answered. 

' Kiss me, Hardy,' he said, a little later. Hardy 



EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY 457 

knelt and kissed him. ' I am satisfied now,' he said. 
* Thank God I have done my duty.' These were his last 
words. 

With the battle of Trafalgar, which was fought on 
21st October 1805 a.d.. Napoleon's power by sea was 
utterly shattered and Britain was saved from all fear of 
invasion. The little ribbon of water between France and 
England was enough to keep her safe from the threats of 
the master of half Europe. 

* 'Twas in Trafalgar's Bay 
We saw the Frenchmen lay, 

Each heart was bounding then ; 
We scorned the foreign yoke. 
Our ships were British oak. 

And hearts of oak our men. 
Our Nelson marked them on the wave. 
Three cheers our gallant seamen gave, 

Nor thought of home or beauty. 
Along the line the signal ran — 
England expects that every man 

This day will do his duty. 

' And now the cannons roar 
Along the affrighted shore ; 

Our Nelson led the way. 
His ship the Vict'ry named ; 
Long be that Vict'ry famed. 

For vict'ry crowned the day. 
But dearly was that conquest bought, 
Too well the gallant hero fought. 

For England, home, and beauty. 
He cried, as midst the fire he ran, 
England expects that every man 

This day will do his duty. 

' At last the fatal wound. 
Which spread dismay around, 
The hero's breast received ; 
Heav'n fights on our side, 



458 OUR ISLAND STORY 

The day 's our own, he criedj 

Now long enough I 've lived : 
In honour's cause my life was past, 
In honour's cause I fall at last, 

For England, home, and beauty. 
Thus ending life as he began, 
England confessed that every man 
That day had done his duty,' 



CHAPTER XCVIII 

GEORGE III.— THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO 

Napoleon hated Britain so much that besides fighting 
against her with soldiers he tried to fight in another way. 
He tried to ruin British trade. Napoleon forbade other 
countries to trade with Britain. But it was of little 
use, and so ill did he succeed that his very own soldiers 
were dressed in British-made cloth and wore British-made 
boots. 

As Portugal still traded with Britain, Napoleon made 
that an excuse for invading Portugal. At the same time 
he seized the King of Spain and his son, and forced them 
to sign a paper saying that they gave up the throne of 
Spain. Napoleon then made his own brother, Joseph 
Bonaparte, King. But although the King and Prince 
had been forced to sign away the throne, the people of 
Spain had something to say about it. They refused to 
have Joseph Bonaparte as their King. They rose to a 
man and rebelled against him, and they asked the British 
to help them. So two years after Trafalgar the Penin- 
sular war began. It is called the Peninsular war because 
it was fought in and for the Peninsula formed by Spain 
and Portugal. 

At first the war was not very successful, but when 
Arthur Wellesley, afterwards Lord Wellington, took 
command, things went better. Gradually the French 



460 OUR ISLAND STORY 

were driven back to France, and the war ended with the 
battle of Toulouse, on 14th April 1814 a.d. 

While this war was going on, Napoleon had also been 
fighting with Russia. There he was utterly crushed. 
Everywhere the peoples he had conquered revolted 
against him, and, a few days before the battle of 
Toulouse, he had been made to give up the throne of 
France, and was banished to the island of Elba. 

Of the many kingdoms which Napoleon had con- 
quered, this little island in the Mediterranean Sea was 
all that he was allowed to keep. But he soon grew tired 
of playing at being Emperor there. The following year, 
while the Kings and Princes of Europe were gathered 
at Vienna, trying to bring order and peace to the lands 
which Napoleon had upset with his wars and conquests, 
he left Elba and made straight for Paris. Cruel and 
selfish though he was, his soldiers loved him, for he had 
so often led them to victory. When he suddenly ap- 
peared among them, they flocked to him, and the people 
cheered and welcomed him. 

Once more Napoleon was Emperor of the French, 
but this time his rule only lasted one hundred days. 

The Kings and Princes at Vienna had not been able 
to agree about settling the affairs of Europe, but, when 
they heard that Napoleon was once more in Paris, fear of 
him made them all unite. They gathered their armies 
for a great struggle against the terrible Emperor. 

Wellington had command of 'eighty thousand men, 
but only about half of these were British. The rest were 
Dutch, Belgian, and German. Bliicher, the great German 
general, had another army of one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand men, and there was yet a third army of Russians 
and Austrians, and all these armies marched towards 
France. 



THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO 461 

But Napoleon did not wait for them to come. He 
marched out to meet them, and a great battle took place 
on 18th June 1815 a.d. at Waterloo, not far from 
Brussels. 

'Ah,' said Napoleon, *at last I shall measure swords 
with this Vilainton.' For although the French and 
British troops had often met. Napoleon had always been 
fighting elsewhere, and had never met Wellington in 
battle. 

The fight was fierce and long, and as Wellington 
watched and directed, he anxiously looked for BlUcher 
and his Prussians, who had promised to join and help him. 

' Night or Bliicher,' said Wellington, * night or 
Bliicher,' for he knew that the coming of either would 
put an end to the dreadful fight. At last, about seven in 
the evening, Bliicher and his Prussians came. 

Then Napoleon made one more desperate struggle for 
victory. The soldiers of his Old Guard, who had been 
kept in reserve, were ordered forward, but they broke and 
fled before the British charge. Napoleon, as he watched, 
became deadly pale. ' All is lost,' he said, turning to his 
officers, who surrounded him, * we must save ourselves.' 
And he rode from the field. 

Not till after the battle did Bliicher and Wellington 
meet. In German fashion, the old Prussian general 
threw his arms round Wellington, and kissed him. It 
was a great victory, and by it Europe was saved from 
tyranny, yet Wellington was sad as he looked round on 
the dead and the dying. 

The British troops were worn out with the long day's 
fighting, but the Prussians were still fresh, and Bliicher 
started off to chase the flying Frenchmen, who ran as 
fast as they were able. They hid in the woods and 
ditches, and threw away their arms, knapsacks, and every 



462 OUR ISLAND STOTIY 

thing they could, so that they might run the faster and 
escape from the pursuing Prussians. They fled till they 
passed the borders of France, where they scattered to 
their homes, a broken, beaten army, never to be gathered 
together again. 

Napoleon gave himself up to the British. He was 
taken to England on board a British man-of-war called 
the Bellerophon, but he was not allowed to land. 

He was kept on board the Bellerophon until the Kings 
of Europe decided to send him to St. Helena, a lonely 
island in the Atlantic ocean. There he could do no 
harm, and there he stayed until he died, six years later. 




OQ 



CHAPTER XCIX 

GEORGE IV.— THE FIRST GENTLEMAN IN EUROPE 

George hi. died in January 1820 a.d., and was succeeded 
by his son George iv. George iv. had ah'eady been 
reigning as Regent for ten years, for, during that time, 
his father had been mad and so unable to rule, and 
towards the end of his life he had become blind, and deaf 
as well. 

George iii. was called Farmer George, because he 
liked a peaceful country life, and would have been a very 
good farmer, although he was not a very wise King. He 
had reigned sixty years, including the last ten, during 
which he really did not rule. 

George iv. was called ' the first gentleman in Europe,' 
because he was handsome, and had fine manners, very 
different from those of his homely father. He tried to 
make friends with all his people through his fine 
manners. Soon after he became King he went to Ireland, 
where the people received him with great joy. He made 
speeches to them, and laughed and cried with them. He 
wore the order of St. Patrick on his breast, and great 
bunches of shamrock in his cap. He told them that he 
loved his Irish people, and that he was Irish at heart, and 
altogether acted his part very well. But it was merely 
acting, for George iv. only cared for himself, and was not 
in the least a good King. The warm-hearted Irish people, 

46S 



464 OUR ISLAND STORY 

however, believed in him and, when he sailed away again, 
some of them were so eager to catch a last glimpse of 
their King, that they fell into the sea, and were nearly 
drowned. 

George next went to Hanover, for he was King of 
Hanover, as well as King of Britain. There he talked 
German, and wore a Hanoverian Order, sang German 
national songs, and told the people with tears in his eyes 
that he was truly German at heart ; and perhaps the 
German people believed him too. 

Next he went to Scotland. Since the time of 
Charles ii. no king had visited Scotland, and the people 
crowded to welcome him. The road from Leith to 
Edinburgh was lined with gentlemen to do him honour, 
and as King George drove along through lines of cheering 
people, it was seen that he was dressed in Stuart tartan, 
and that he wore the Order of the Thistle. 

George had wept and laughed with his Irish subjects, 
yet when a chance came for him to prove that he loved 
them as he had said he did, he did not willingly take it. 

In the fierce old days the Roman Catholics had killed 
and tortured the Protestants whenever they had the 
power and, in dread of them, an act had been passed for- 
bidding Roman Catholics to hold any public office. 
Those days were long passed. No one was now killed or 
tortured because of his religion, yet the laws against the 
Roman Catholics still remained. No Catholic might be 
an officer in the army or navy, no Catholic might sit in 
Parliament, or serve his country in any way. 

Yet nearly all the Irish people were Roman Catholics, 
and generous men for many years had felt these laws to 
be unjust. The younger Pitt had tried in vain to make 
George iii. do away with them. Now wise men tried to 
make George iv. repeal them. But the King, who said he 



THE FIRST GENTLEMAN IN EUROPE 465 

was Irish at heart, refused. * My father,' he said, ' would 
have laid his head on the block rather than yield, and I am 
equally ready to lay my head there for the same cause.' 

The great Duke of Wellington was Prime JNlinister at 
this time, and as he had conquered Napoleon in war, so 
now he conquered George iv. in peace. He stood firm, 
and at last the King was forced to give way. A bill called 
the Catholic Emancipation Act, which means 'freeing' 
Act, was passed by Parliament. Since then Roman 
Catholics have been allowed to sit in Parliament, to be 
ofBcers, or to hold any other post which is open to Pro- 
testants, although no king may rule in Britain unless he 
is a Protestant. 

'George iv. died in June 1830 a.d., having reigned ten 
years. He was an utterly selfish man, and a bad King. 
Yet the British nation had grown so strong that even a 
bad King could not do much harm, while there were 
great men around him to work for their country. 



2 G 



CHAPTER C 

WILLIAM IV.— THE STORY OF TWO PEACEFUL VICTORIES 

Geoege IV. had only one child, a daughter, and she died 
some time before her father, so he was succeeded by his 
brother William, who was sixty-five years old when he 
came to the throne. 

William was called the Sailor King because he had 
served in the navy. He was bluff and rough and good- 
natured, not at all like a King. He used to be fond 
of strolling about London with a walking-stick or an 
umbrella just like an ordinary man. But British people 
have always loved a sailor, so they were glad when 
William became King, and hoped that he would prove a 
better one than George iv. 

That some of his people had not much reverence for 
him, is shown by one man who wrote of him, ' He seems 
a kind-hearted, well-meaning, not stupid, bustling old 
fellow, and if he doesn't go mad, may make a very 
decent King.' Later the same man called him, ' One of 
the silliest old gentlemen in his dominions.' If he had 
been left to himself the ' Well-meaning old fellow ' would 
have been quite pleased to jog along without troubling 
about his kingdom or his duties. But that was not to be. 
The days of the clatter and jangle of steel armour were 
over, the roar and crackle of musket and cannon were 



STORY OF TWO PEACEFUL VICTORIES 467 

silent for the time, but in the peace and silence men were 
thinking and planning and working for the good of the 
nation. 

For hundreds of years the people of Britain had had 
the right of choosing men to send to Parliament to tell 
of their troubles and their wrongs, and to help to make 
just laws for the ruling of the country. The whole 
nation, of course, cannot go to Westminster, for no 
building would be large enough to contain them all, and 
the talking would never be finished, and no laws would 
ever be made. So each county and each big town 
chooses a man who goes to Parliament to speak and vote 
in the name of those who send him. 

That is what is intended, but at this time the reality 
was something quite different. 

During the hundreds of years which had passed since 
it had been first arranged which towns should send mem- 
bers to Parliament, there had been many changes. Places 
which had once been large towns had for some reason or 
other become deserted. Where there had been houses, 
churches, shops, and crowded, busy streets, there was now 
perhaps only one lonely house, or perhaps only a deserted 
hillside. Yet that lonely house or deserted hillside con- 
tinued to send a member to Parliament. On the other 
hand since factories had been built, great towns had 
sprung up, where a hundred years before there had been 
perhaps only a single cottage. But these great towns 
with all their hard-working people had no right to send 
a member to Parliament, and could have no voice in 
making the laws. 

This seems very absurd. Nowadays, we think it 
would be quite easy for any sensible man to see that this 
state of affairs was quite wrong. But a hundred years 
ago many sensible people did not see it. They were 



468 OUR ISLAND STORY 

quite pleased with things as they were, and very angry 
with those who tried to alter them. 

But some people were quite determined they should 
be altered, and two men called Lord Grey and Lord John 
Russell, brought into Parliament what is called the 
Reform Bill. This Bill took the right of sending any one 
to Parliament away from the bare and lonely hillsides, 
and gave the right to the new and busy towns, so that 
the people should really be represented, that is, should 
have some one in Parliament to act and speak for 
them. 

There was a long and fierce struggle before this Bill 
became law. You know that there are two Houses of 
Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of 
Lords. A bill to become law must be read in both 
Houses, and must be voted for by the greater number of 
the members in each. That is, more than half the mem- 
bers must vote for it. For instance, if there were only 
one hundred members, at least fifty-one must vote for a 
bill before it is said to have passed. Having passed both 
Houses, it must receive the consent of the King, before 
it can become law. 

After a great deal of difficulty the Commons were 
made to consent to the Reform Bill, but the Lords did 
not want it, neither did the King, and again and again 
they refused consent. 

The country, however, had become so determined 
about it that there were riots everywhere when it became 
known that the Lords would not pass the Bill. The 
people who had been quite ready to love their King 
began to hate him, and, instead of cheering when he 
appeared, they hissed and groaned. 

So bitter did feeling become that the friends of the 
Bill feared there would be another revolution, and at last 



STORY OF TWO PEACEFUL VICTORIES 469 

they forced the King to give his consent. The Lords 
followed, and the Bill became law. 

One more step towards liberty had been taken. 

Another great thing which happened during the reign 
of William iv. was the freeing of slaves. 

For many years people had been in the habit of 
stealing black people from their homes in Africa, and 
selling them as slaves in the colonies. People had grown 
so used to it that they did not see how wicked and cruel 
this was. These poor black people were taken to market 
and sold like cattle, they were branded like cattle, and 
beaten like cattle. They had to work very hard, were 
paid no wages, and were often very cruelly treated. All 
masters, of course, were not cruel, some of them were 
even kind to their poor slaves, but still they had very 
unhappy lives. They had no rights whatever, their 
children might be taken from them and sold, sometimes 
even husbands and wives were sold to different masters, 
and never saw each other again. A master might 
treat his slaves as badly as he chose, and no one could 
punish him. 

In the old, rough, wild days no one cared about the 
sufferings of these poor, black people. They were only 
niggers, and made for work and suffering, and nothing 
was thought about it. 

But, as time went on, people became less rough and 
more kind-hearted, and good men began to try to make 
people see the wickedness of slavery. For some years, 
a man called Wilberforce had been doing his best, and 
now he was joined by others, among whom was 
Macaulay, the father of the great writer. Mr. Macaulay 
had himself been a manager of a sugar plantation in 
the West Indies where slaves worked. But he gave 
up his post because he could not bear to see the misery 



470 OUR ISLAND STORY 

and unhappiness of the slaves, and came home to try 
to do something for them. 

It was not a very easy thing to do, because all the 
work on the sugar and coffee plantations in the West 
Indies was done by slaves. The planters said they 
would be ruined if the slaves were made free, as the 
black people would not work unless they were forced 
to do so. Besides, they had paid a great deal of money 
for their slaves, and it seemed unfair that they should 
be made to lose it all. 

But, at last, all difficulties were smoothed away. 
The British Parliament said they would give twenty 
millions of money to the planters to make up for what 
they would lose in freeing their slaves, and, in the year 
1834 A.D., most of them were set free. 

Many other things were done during the reign of 
William iv., which you will find more interesting when 
you grow older. He died on 20th June 1837 a.d., having 
reigned seven years. 



CHAPTER CI 

VICTORIA— THE GIRL QUEEN 

Many years ago, in a big airy schoolroom, a little girl of 
eleven sat witli her governess. The little girl had many 
lessons to learn, far more it seemed to her than other 
little girls of the same age, and sometimes they were 
terribly dull and uninteresting. But to-day they vsrere 
not so, for she had found in her history book a page 
which showed how kings were descended from each 
other. This was very interesting. The little girl read 
the page carefully, then, looking up into the face of her 
governess, she said gravely, ' So I shall be Queen of 
Britain one day.' Then slipping her hand into that 
of her governess, ' I will be good,' she added, ' I will be 
good. I see now why I have to learn so many lessons.' 

This little girl was Princess Victoria, the daughter 
of the Duke of Kent, younger brother of William iv. 
William iv. had two children, but they died while 
they were babies. The Princess Victoria's father had 
died when she was a baby, so she was the heir to the 
throne. 

When William lay still and quiet in the great palace 
at Windsor, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the 
Lord Chamberlain stepped into a carriage and drove 
fast to the palace of Kensington, where the Princess 
lived with her mother. It was five o'clock in the morning 



472 OUR ISLAND STORY 

when they arrived there. They knocked and hammered 
for a long time before they could rouse the sleepy porter, 
but at last they did so and got into the palace. But 
it seemed as if they were not to see the Princess, and 
that was what they had come for. 

At last, after they had waited for a long time, a lady 
came to them. ' The Princess is sleeping so peacefully,' 
she said, * I cannot wake her.' 

* We have come to see the Queen on affairs of state,' 
said the Archbishop. 'Even her sleep must give way 
to that.' 

The Queen ! That was a very different matter. 

In a few minutes the new-made Queen came into the 
room. Her brown hair was hanging over her shoulders, 
a shawl covered her nightdress, and only slippers were 
on her little bare feet. She was hardly awake, and she 
wondered, perhaps, if she might not still be dreaming. 

And there, in the early morning sunshine, these two 
grave gentlemen, the Archbishop and the Lord Chamber- 
lain, knelt to kiss the hand of this girl of eighteen who 
was their Queen. 

Since the time of George i., the kings of Britain had 
also been kings of Hanover. But in Hanover there was 
a law that no woman could ascend the throne. Victoria 
could not be Queen of Hanover, so the crown passed 
to the Duke of Cumberland, another of the brothers of 
William iv. The British people were not very sorry 
to be rid of Hanover, and they were quite glad to be rid 
of the Duke of Cumberland, for no one loved him. 

Not long after Queen Victoria came to the throne 
she married her cousin. Prince Albert of Coburg Gotha. 
Very often kings and queens cannot choose whom they 
will marry as other people can. They have to do as they 
are advised, and marry for the good of their country and 



THE GIRL QUEEN 473 

people. But it is pleasant to know that this Queen and 
Prince really loved each other, and that they were happy 
together with their children, just like ordinary people. 

Britain had been long at peace, and I wish I had no 
more wars to tell about. But, unfortunately, during the 
reign of Victoria there were many wars, although wise 
men did all they could to avoid them, for we see now 
more and more clearly how cruel and terrible a thing 
war is. 

I cannot tell you about all these wars and their 
reasons; indeed, I cannot tell you about nearly all the 
important events which have happened since Victoria 
began to reign. Things happen and changes come now 
much more quickly than they used to do, and to tell of 
all the wonderful events of the nineteenth century would 
fill a whole book, and much of it would not interest 
you. 



CHAPTER CII 

VICTORIA— WHEN BREAD WAS DEAR 

Some time after Victoria began to reign, the poor people 
were in great distress. Work was scarce and bread was 
dear, and many died of hunger. 

Long ago, most of the people in Britain used to live 
by cultivating the land ; that is, by ploughing, sowing, and 
reaping. In those days enough corn was grown in Britain 
to feed all the people. But as years went on, the great 
lords, who owned the land, found that they made more 
money by rearing sheep for their wool than by growing corn 
and wheat for food. So year by year less and less corn 
was grown in the island. Year by year, too, more babies 
were born and grew up into men and women, so that 
there were more people to feed. Then discoveries began 
to be made and factories were built, and the people who 
used to plough and sow went into the towns to work in 
the factories. And so, because it became more difficult 
to find people to do farm work, still less corn was grown. 
Gradually the supply of corn became very small and, 
in consequence, very dear. For it always happens that 
if there is only a little of something which a great many 
people want, that article becomes very dear and only those 
who are well off can afford to buy it. That is what 
happened to corn in Britain. There was not enough for 
all, and it became so dear that only the rich people 
could buy it, and the poor people starved. Bread was so 
dear that, however hard men worked, they could not 
earn enough to feed themselves and their children. 

474 



WHEN BREAD WAS DEAR 475 

There was plenty of corn in other parts of the world. 
In fact people in other parts of the world had more than 
they wanted. They would gladly have sold it to Britain, 
and have bought instead, the beautiful cloths which were 
being made in the British factories. In that way the 
people in Britain would have had plenty to eat, and the 
people in other parts of the world would have had better 
clothes to wear, and every one would have been happier 
and better off. 

But, unfortunately, some years before this, a law had 
been passed that no foreign corn might be brought into 
the country until British corn cost eighty shillings a 
quarter, which is very, very dear indeed. The people who 
made this law meant to be kind to the farmers and help 
them to get a good price for their corn, but they did not 
see how unkind they were to the poor. 

At last a few people saw what a dreadful mistake 
these Corn Laws, as they were called, were, and they 
began with all their might and main to try to have them 
altered. The chief of these people were John Bright, 
Richard Cobden, and Charles Villiers, but they found it 
was very difficult to make others think as they did. 

For a long time they fought in vain, while the people 
grew poorer and poorer, starving, struggling, dying. 
Even little children and old men had to work hard all 
day long, always hungry. 

' Child, what hast thou with sleep to do ? 

Awake and dry thine eyes : 
Thy tiny hands must labour too ; 

Our bread is tax'd, arise ! 
Arise, and toil long hours twice seven, 

For pennies two or three ; 
Thy woes make angels weep in heaven, 

But England still is free. 



476 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' Up, weary man of eighty-five. 

And toil in hopeless woe. 
Our bread is tax'd, our rivals thrive. 

Our gods will have it so. 
Yet God is undethron'd on high. 

And undethron'd will be : 
Father of all ! hear Thou our cry 

And England shall be free ! ' 

But there was worse still to come. In Ireland nearly- 
all the poor people lived on potatoes only. And the 
potatoes all went bad. In a few weeks the food which 
ought to have lasted for a whole year became rotten. 

This was such a terrible misfortune that some of the 
men who had been against the repeal of the Corn Laws 
went over to the other side and tried to do away with 
them as fast as they could. Among these men was Sir 
Robert Peel, who was now Prime Minister. They knew 
that unless corn could be brought cheaply into Ireland 
there would be a famine. 

A famine did come, and the people died in hundreds. 
Little children cried in vain to their mothers for some- 
thing to eat. The mothers had nothing to give. It was 
a dreadful time, worse than any war. 

Rich people sent money and food to the poor, starving 
Irish, but in spite of everything that was done, the 
misery was terrible. Some of the food and money came 
from the United States of America— from the colonies 
which Britain had so lately lost. The owners of ships 
and railways did what they could too, and all parcels 
which were marked ' For Ireland,' were carried free on 
their trains and ships. When at last the famine was 
over, it was found that nearly a quarter of the people in 
Ireland had died. 

But the Corn Laws had been done away with. 



CHAPTER CIII 

VICTORIA— PEACE 

Queen Victoria's husband was called the Prince Consort. 
He was a clever man, and, after he married Queen 
Victoria, he tried to do all he could for Britain. Although 
he was German, he learned to speak English almost 
perfectly, a thing which some of our German Kings had 
never troubled to do. 

The Prince wanted to help trade and to keep peace. 
So he asked people to come from all parts of the world and 
bring with them the beautiful and useful things which 
were made in their countries, and also the things which 
grew there, such as plants and fruits. These were all to 
be gathered together in one great building so that the 
people of each country might see what the people in other 
countries were doing, and, having seen, might go home 
with new ideas. In this way the trade of the whole 
world would be helped. The Prince thought, too, that if 
people of different countries met together and came to 
know each other in this friendly manner, they would be 
less likely to want to fight with each other. 

Although we have since had many great Exhibitions or 
World's Fairs, then, it was quite a new idea. It was so 
new that many people did not like it. They thought 
that it would be bad for Britain to bring a number of 
foreigners there. But in spite of difficulties, the Prince 
had his way. 

477 



478 OUR ISLAND STORY 

One great difficulty was how to make a building 
quickly enough, and big enough to hold the beautiful 
things which were to be brought from all over the world. 
The Prince wanted to have a pretty building, and no one 
could think of anything except ugly brick sheds. 

At last a gentleman, called Sir Joseph Paxton, said, 
' Why not use glass and iron ? ' And he sat down and 
drew a sketch of what he thought the building ought 
to be. 

This idea of a glass house was quite as new as the 
idea of having an Exhibition at all, and the Prince was 
delighted with it. Very soon a palace of glass began to 
rise in Hyde Park and it seemed so beautiful that the 
people called it the Crystal Palace. 

And very beautiful, indeed, it looked on the opening 
day. It gleamed and glittered like a fairy thing, it was 
decorated with the flags of all nations, with palms and 
flowers, with statues and fountains, and crowded with 
people from every country in the world. 

Queen Victoria opened the Exhibition, and she was 
glad and happy, both because it all looked so beautiful, 
and because she knew it was the thought of her husband 
whom she loved so well. Bands played, a great choir 
sang, the world seemed full of sunshine and joy. 

' And lo ! the long laborious miles 
Of palace ; lo ! the giant aisles. 
Rich in model and design ; 
Harvest-tool and husbandry. 
Loom and wheel and enginery. 
Secrets of the sullen mine, 
Steel and gold, and corn and wine. 
Fabric rough, or fairy-fine, 
Sunny tokens of the Line, 
Polar marvels, and a feast 
Of wonder, out of West and East, 
And shapes and hues of Art divine ! 



PEACE 479 

All of beauty, all of use, 

That one fair planet can produce. 

Brought from under every star. 
Blown from over every main. 
And mixt, as life is mixt with pain. 

The works of peace with works of war, 

* O ye, the wise who think, the wise who reign. 
From growing commerce loose her latest chain, 
And let the fair white- wing'd peacemaker fly 
To happy havens under all the sky. 
And mix the seasons and the golden hours ; 
Till each man find his own in all men's good, 
And all men work in noble brotherhood. 
Breaking their mailed fleets and armed towers. 
And ruling by obeying Nature's powers. 
And gathering all the fruits of earth and crown'd, 
with all her flowers.' 

The Exhibition was a great success. Never before 
had there been so many people from strange countries 
gathered together in London. Never before had so many 
beautiful and curious things been seen all at once. When 
it was over, the Crystal Palace was not destroyed, but 
was taken down and built up again at another place. 
There it has remained ever since, and is still one of the 
sights of London. 

But although people hoped great things from this 
friendly gathering, their hopes were not fulfilled. Three 
years later, after a peace of forty years, Britain was again 
at war. 



CHAPTER CIV 

VICTORIA— WAR 

Russia is a great country in the east of Europe. But 
if you look at the map you will see that, although it is 
very large, it has not much seashore. That is bad for a 
country, for, unless it has seaports, its ships cannot easily 
sail to other countries with goods and bring back other 
goods in exchange. 

To the south of Russia lies the Black Sea, but then as 
now half of the shore of that sea belonged to Turkey, and 
Turkey had the right to keep the ships of other nations out 
of the Black Sea. Russia was very angry at this, and 
formed plans to conquer Turkey and take possession of the 
country. The Emperor of Russia had another reason for 
wishing to fight with the Turks. The Turks, you know, 
are Mahometans, but many of the people who lived in 
Turkey had become Christian. The Emperor thought 
that these Christians were badly treated by the Turks, 
and he wished to protect them. This made the Sultan 
very angry, for he said that the Emperor was not really 
anxious about the happiness of the Christians, but merely 
wished to interfere with his rule. 

The Russian Emperor hoped that the British would 
help him to fight the Turks, and he offered to divide 
Turkey, when conquered, with Britain. 

But the British were on good terms with the Turks, 



WAR 481 

and they had several reasons for not wishing Russia to 
conquer Turkey. So when war at last broke out, they 
sided with the Turks against the Russians, as did the 
French, who also thought that it would be a bad thing if 
Russia conquered Turkey. 

For the first time, France and Britain, instead of fight- 
ing against each other, fought side by side. Lord Raglan 
led tlie British army, Marshal St. Arnaud the French. 
The war was fought in the Crimea, a little peninsula in 
the Black Sea, and from that it was called the Crimean 
War. 

Both the French and the British sent fleets into the 
Black Sea, but they did not do much, as the war was 
chiefly fought on land round the fortress of Sebastopol, 
which the allies, as the armies of Britain, France, and 
Turkey were called, besieged. Ally comes from the 
same word as alliance, and means, ' the friends ' or ' those 
who had joined together.' 

Britain had been at peace for forty years, and, 
although the soldiers had not forgotten how to fight, it 
seemed as if those in command had forgotten how to plan 
a war. 

The winter in Russia is terribly cold, and the people 
who had charge of sending out clothes to the soldiers sent 
the things to the wrong places. So when the soldiers 
were shivering with cold at one place, great stores of 
warm clothing w^ould be lying at another, perhaps not 
many miles off, but quite out of reach. Once a whole 
shipload of boots arrived, and, when they were unpacked, 
they were found to be all for the left foot. Terrible 
storms arose, too, which wrecked the ships which were 
bringing stores of food. These storms not only wrecked 
the ships, but they tore down and blew away the soldiers' 
tents, so that they had to sleep in the open air in the 

2 H 



482 OUR ISLAND STORY 

snow and bitter frost. They had nothing upon which to 
sleep except wet straw, and often they had no bed-clothes 
at all. And this in cold so dreadful that, if a man took 
hold of a piece of iron, it would freeze to his hand, so that 
he could not leave go without tearing away the skin. 

So great was the suffering that many of the soldiers 
became sick and ill. The hospitals were soon filled, and 
many more died of disease than were killed by the 
Russians. In those days there were very few proper 
nurses, and the poor sick soldiers were very badly cared 
for, until a lady called Florence Nightingale went out to 
the Crimea, taking with her other ladies as nurses. 

When Florence Nightingale and her nurses arrived in 
the Crimea, the dirt and horror of the hospitals were 
dreadful. The great wards were crowded from end to end 
with sick and wounded, dead and dying. No one did 
anything for the poor soldiers, their wounds even often 
were not dressed ; they were brought there to die. But 
Florence Nightingale worked so hard that soon the 
hospitals were sweet and clean, and the men grew well 
instead of dying. The soldiers loved and adored her, and 
she never seemed to tire of working for them. Long after 
every one else had gone, she would walk through the 
wards carrying a lamp in her hand, moving softly from 
bed to bed, doing what she could for the poor wounded 
men. ' She would speak to one and another,' said one 
poor fellow afterwards, * and nod and smile to many more; 
but she could not do it to all, there were so many of us ; 
but we could kiss her shadow as it fell, and lay our heads 
on our pillows again, content.' 

' Lo ! in that house of misery 
A lady with a lamp I see 
Pass through the glimmering gloom. 
And flit from room to room. 



WAR 488 

* And slow, as in a dream of bliss, 
The speechless sufferer turns to kiss 
Her shadow, as it falls 

Upon the darkening walls. 

' As if a door in heaven should be 
Opened and then closed suddenly. 
The vision came and went, 
The light shone and was spent. 

* On England's annals, through the long 
Hereafter of her speech and song, 
That light its rays shall cast 

From portals of the past. 

* A lady with a lamp shall stand 
In the great history of the land, 
A noble type of good. 

Heroic womanhood.' 

Once Florence Nightingale went out into the 
trenches among the soldiers to get a good view of 
Sebastopol. When it became known that she was there, 
they sent up such a shout that the Russians behind their 
strong battlements heard it and trembled, not knowing 
what it might mean. There was not a man there but 
honoured her as he would a queen. Florence Nightin- 
gale worked so hard that at last she, too, became ill of the 
terrible Crimean fever. Then there was sorrow indeed. 
Little could the men do for her who had done so much 
for them, but even in that wild place they found flowers 
to bring to her to cheer her loneliness. And she did 
not die, but still lived to bring joy to many. 

Since Florence Nightingale worked among the soldiers 
in the Crimea, army nurses have worn red crosses upon 
their sleeves, as the crusaders did long ago. But those 
who wear the cross to-day do not go to battle to fight, 



484 OUR ISLAND STORY 

but to help the wounded and the dying. Over the 
hospitals on the battlefield too flies the red cross flag, and 
no enemy ever fires at it or injures any one who wears the 
red cross badge. 

The British soldiers were brave, and in spite of sick- 
ness and suffering they fought gallantly, but they were 
often badly led, and many mistakes were made. One 
dreadful mistake was made at a battle called Balaclava. 

There was a brigade of cavalry called the Light 
Brigade. Lord Raglan sent a message to the officer in 
command, telling him to prevent the Russians carrying 
away some guns. The officer thought he was meant to 
charge right forward, and he did so. But it was a 
mistake. He and his men rode straight to death. For 
a mile and a half they rode with Russian guns in front of 
them, Russian guns on either side of thein, thundering 
death. When their comrades saw what the Light 
Brigade was doing, they stood watching in horror and 
wonder, as six hundred men of the brigade rode down 
the lane of fire and smoke, and disappeared in the bank 
of smoke beyond. 

It was horrible ! What was happening to these 
gallant soldiers ? They rode straight up to the Russian 
guns and drove the gunners away. But they could not 
stay there. The whole Russian army was arrayed against 
them,* so they rode back again — back through that awful 
lane of shot and shell. Six hundred and seven men went, 
only one hundred and ninety-eight returned. 

It was a splendid show of bravery, but utterly useless. 
What was the order given ? What were the men meant 
to do ? No one can answer the question. ' It is magnifi- 
cent,' said a French officer who saw it, * but it is not war.* 
Yet all the world saw what Britons could do in obedience 
to a command. 



WAR 485 



' Half a league, half a league, 
Half a league onward, 

All in the valley of Death 
Rode the six hundred. 

" Forward the Light Brigade, 

Charge for the guns ! " he said : 

Into the valley of Death 
Rode the six hundred. 

« Forward the Light Brigade." 
Was there a man dismayed .'' 
Not tho' the soldier knew 

Some one had blundered : 
Theirs not to make reply. 
Theirs not to reason why, 
Theirs but to do and die : 
Into the valley of Death 

Rode the six hundred. 

' Cannon to right of them. 
Cannon to left of them. 
Cannon in front of them 

Volley'd and thunder'd ; 
Storm'd at with shot and shell. 
Boldly they rode and well. 
Into the jaws of Death, 
Into the mouth of Hell 
Rode the six hundred. 

* Flash'd all their sabres bare, 
Flash'd as they turn'd in air, 
Sabring the gunners there. 
Charging an army, while 

All the world wonder'd : 
Plunged in the battery-smoke, 
Right thro' the line they broke ; 
Cossack and Russian 
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke 

Shatter'd and sunder'd. 
Then they rode back, but not 

Not the six hundred. 



486 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' Cannon to right of them. 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon behind them 

Volley' d and thunder'd ; 
Storm'd at with shot and shell, 
While horse and hero fell. 
They that had fought so well 
Came thro' the jaws of Death, 
Back from the mouth of Hell, 
All that was left of them. 
Left of six hundred. 

' When can their glory fade ? 
Oh ! the wild charge they made. 

All the world wonder'd. 
Honour the charge they made. 
Honour the Light Brigade, 

Noble six hundred.' 

The siege of Sebastopol lasted about a year, during 
which time the Sardinians joined the allies. Sardinia 
was a very small kingdom, but the people were brave ; 
they wanted to take a place among the great powers of 
Europe, and the allies were very glad to have their help. 
During the winter, too, the Russian Emperor died. He 
was so sad and disappointed because his soldiers were 
being beaten, that he did not care to live. He died of a 
broken heart. When the Emperor died, people hoped 
that the war would come to an end, but it did not. His 
son, the new Emperor, still carried it on. 

At last the French and British made a fierce attack on 
Sebastopol, and, although they did not succeed in doing 
all they meant to do, the Russians felt that they could 
hold out no longer. Next morning Sebastopol was 
empty and in flames. The Russians had set it on fire 
and fled. 

After this, the war soon came to an end, and a few 
months later peace was signed. Russia had failed, and 
Turkey was neither conquered nor divided. 



CHAPTER CV 

nCTORIA— THE LAND OF SNOW 

In days long, long ago, men knew very little of the world, 
and all the countries it contained. But in the time of 
Henry vii., great sailors began to sail into far seas and 
discover new lands. From that time onward there have 
been many great and daring sailors who have sailed the 
seas and discovered more and more lands, until the blue 
of our maps has become marked with islands and con- 
tinents. 

The way to India and China is long, and, in the days 
when there were no steamers, it was dangerous too. In 
the time of King Henry vii. a man called Sebastian Cabot 
tried to find a short way to India, by going round the 
north of America through the Arctic Ocean. This 
began the quest of what was called the ' North-West 
Passage.' 

For hundreds of years men struggled to find this 
North-West Passage, but all in vain, and many brave 
lives were lost in the bitter frost and snow of the far 
north. As new lands were discovered, the map of the 
Arctic region began to be filled in bit by bit, but the 
North-West Passage remained undiscovered. 

At last the British Government decided in 1845 a.d. 
to send out an Arctic expedition, and Sir John Franklin, 
who had already been on two voyages of discovery to 
Arctic regions, was put in command. 

487 



488 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Sir John was no longer a young man, but he loved 
the sea and the north, and he went out like an old sea- 
lion, eager to find the long-sought passage. 

He sailed away with two ships, called tlie Terror and 
the Erebus, manned by a hundred men and more. The 
last good-bye was said, the last handshake given, and 
away sped the ships further and further north into the 
white and silent land, never again to return. 

A year passed, then another. At home anxious hearts 
waited and waited for news, but no news came. Then, 
as nothing was heard of the ships and their gallant crews, 
both Sir John Franklin's wife and the British Govern- 
ment sent out expeditions to try to find the Terror and 
the Erebus. 

These new ships sailed to the north, keeping as much 
as possible in the course Sir John had gone, but they 
could find no trace of him. Here and there sailors landed 
on the bare, white shores which they passed, and left 
supplies of food under great heaps of stones or cairns as 
they are called. They also left letters telling which way 
their ships had gone. This they did hoping that some of 
Franklin's men might pass that way and find the food 
and letters. The sailors also caught white foxes which 
run about wild in these cold countries. Round the necks 
of these foxes they put copper collars on which were 
engraved directions how to find the ships and the stores 
of food. Tlie foxes were then let loose again, in the hope 
that some of them might find their way to the Terror 
and the Erebus and bring comfort and encouragement to 
Sir John and his men. 

But nothing was of any use. No sign of Franklin and 
his brave men could be found, although expedition after 
expedition was sent out. At one time as many as fifteen 
ships were looking for Franklin, but each one failed. 



ifXf1?-t'i>. 




'the ships WEBB CALLED THE "TERROR" AND THE "EREBUS' 



THE LAND OF SNOW 489 

At last, after about twelve years, the searchers were 
rewarded. They found a cairn in which was a tin can con- 
taining a paper which luid been put there by one of Sir 
John's men. This paper told how at last the North-West 
Passage had been discovered ; how Sir John had died a 
few days later, and how as the ships were stuck fast in 
the ice and could not get through to the sea beyond, the 
men had at last left them and started southward on 
sledges. That was all. 

None of the men ever reached home again. They all 
died of cold and hunger, and here and there along the 
way they had gone their skeletons were found bleached 
and white. 

The people who live in the cold, far north are called 
Eskimos. When they were questioned, some of them 
remembered having seen white men travelling southward 
with a sledge. ' But they were very thin,' said one old 
woman, ' they fell down and died as they walked.' 

The Eskimos had among them silver spoons and forks 
which the searchers knew had belonged to Sir John. 
These were all collected and brought home, but of the 
ships themselves nothing was ever seen. 

All through the long search it was Lady Franklin who 
urged the explorers on, and when at last she knew that 
her dear husband was indeed dead, she raised a tomb to 
his memory in Westminster Abbey. She herself wished 
to write the words which were to be carved on the 
stone, but she died before they were written. The great 
poet laureate, Tennyson, wrote them instead. 

* Not here ! The White North hath thy bonesj and thou, 
Heroic sailor soul, 

Art passing on thy happier voyage now 
Towards no earthly pole.' 

Although it is now known that there is a North- West 



490 OUR ISLAND STORY 

Passage, it is also known that it can be of no use for 
trade. Even if the passage was not blocked with ice, the 
danger and suffering from the cold are too great to be 
endured. 

There are still wonderful things to be learned in 
the cold, white north, and there have been many Arctic 
expeditions since the death of Sir John Franklin, but 
I have told you about him because he was one of the 
most famous Arctic explorers. He really discovered 
the North-West Passage, and his death in the far north 
caused many other expeditions to be sent out, and, 
although they did not find Sir John, they learned much 
that was new about the Arctic regions. 



CHAPTER CVI 

VICTORIA— THE SIEGE OF DELHI 

A HUNDRED years had passed since the terrible night 
when the British had been murdered in the Black Hole 
of Calcutta ; a hundred years had passed since Clive had 
gained the victory of Plassey. Since then the British 
power in India had steadily grown and grown until, 
instead of a few sepoys, there was a great Indian army; 
instead of a few factories, the whole of India was under 
the rule of Britain, and British rule in India seemed firm 
and certain. But suddenly, from out the calm, rebellion 
blazed. 

New guns had been sent to India for the use of the 
sepoys. The powder and shot for a gun is made up 
with paper into what is called a cartridge. In those days 
the end of the cartridge had to be bitten off before it 
could be used. The paper of these cartridges was greased, 
and somehow the sepoys came to think that the grease 
was a mixture of cow's fat and pig's lard, and they refused 
to use the cartridges. 

These Indian soldiers were not Christians, but 
Brahmins and Mahometans. The Brahmins worship 
the cow, and they thought that it was dreadfully wicked 
to put into their mouths, or even touch, what they held 
as sacred. The Mahometans, on the other hand, 
thought that pigs were unclean animals, and their re- 



492 OUR ISLAND STORY 

ligion forbade them to touch anything which was con- 
sidered unclean. So they, too, felt that it would be 
wicked to use the cartridges. 

The governor. Lord Canning, sent out a proclamation 
telling all the people that the cartridges were not greased 
either with cow's fat or with lard. But the sepoys did not 
believe him, and a terrible rebellion, known as the Indian 
Mutiny, broke out. 

It was a most dreadful time. There were very few 
British soldiers in India, and Lord Canning knew that it 
would be many weeks before others could arrive from 
Britain. But the British had been fighting in Persia, 
and Lord Canning sent for the soldiers there, and also for 
some who were on their way to fight in China. 

The Mutiny first broke out at a place called JNIeerut. 
There the native soldiers one day suddenly fired upon 
their officers, and killed some of them. Then they mur- 
dered many of the white people in the town, broke open 
the gaols and freed the prisoners, who joined in rioting 
and plundering. But at last the few British soldiers who 
were there succeeded in driving the sepoys from their 
barracks, and they fled to Delhi, another town near. 

At Delhi there lived an Indian Emperor of about 
eighty years old. He was an emperor only in name, for 
his whole empire was under British rule. But now the 
sepoys, driven from IVIeerut, rushed to his palace and 
loudly clamoured for him to come and be their Emperor 
once more. They would no longer have British rulers, 
they said. They would sweep them from the land. 
Dreadful deeds were done in Delhi, but British troops 
besieged the town and took it again. When the Mutiny 
was over, the old Emperor was put in prison, where he 
died. 

At a place called Cawnpore, some of the most cruel 



THE SIEGE OF DELHI 493 

acts were done. There were only about three hundred 
British troops there, and more than three thousand 
sepoys. Sir Hugh Wheeler, who was in command, was 
a very old man. He knew that with his few soldiers he 
could not hold out against so many sepoys, and he sent 
to Lucknow, to Sir Henry Lawrence, for help. But 
alas ! Sir Henry could not help him, for Lucknow, too, 
was in great danger, and he needed every one of his men. 

So Sir Hugh sent to a native called the Nana Sahib, 
and asked him for help. The Nana Sahib had always 
pretended to be a friend, and Sir Hugh believed that he 
was. Really, he hated the British. Now he came with 
three hundred men, professing to be glad to help them. 
He got into Cawnpore with his soldiers and his guns, and 
then he turned against the British. 

Sir Hugh and all the white people had gathered into 
an old hospital for safety. The magazine, the place 
where the gunpowder and fire-arms were kept, would 
have been a far better refuge for them. It is difficult to 
understand why Sir Hugh did not go there, but he did 
not, and it fell into the hands of the sepoys. 

The hospital was surrounded by a low wall of mud, 
which was all the defence there was between the white 
people and the shrieking, yelling mob of sepoys. Within 
these walls there were nearly one thousand white people, 
and more than half of them were women and children. 
The sepoys thought that it would be easy to kill them 
all. But they found out their mistake. The white 
people fought fiercely, and the sepoys were driven back 
again and again. 

The suffering within the old hospital was dreadful. 
The women and children died by hundreds. The fierce 
Indian sun blazed down upon the almost roofless house. 
There was little to eat, and less to drink. Water could 



494 OUR ISLAND STORY 

only be had from a well which was within the range of 
the enemy's guns. To go for water seemed to the 
bravest to be going to certain death. During the whole 
siege not a cupful could be spared to wash with. 

Thousands of yelling sepoys were without the low 
mud walls, yet so great was their dread of the white men 
that they dared not leap over. At last the Nana Sahib, 
out of the deep wickedness of his heart, proposed terms. 

He promised that all who would lay down their arms 
should be allowed to leave the town ; that he would give 
them boats to take them to another town where they 
would be safe: and that they should have food for the 
journey. All he asked was that they should go away. 

What joy there was within the hospital when it was 
known that the terrible siege was at an end. The women 
and children were utterly worn and weary, the men were 
wounded, sick, and hopeless. The joy and relief was 
almost too great. 

The day came. Everything was ready, and the long, 
slow procession passed down to where the boats were 
waiting on the river. Gently the sick and wounded were 
placed under the straw awnings, with which the boats 
were covered to protect the passengers from the blazing 
sun. Then the women and children stepped in, lastly 
the men. The Indian rowers took their places and 
pushed off, when suddenly a trumpet was heard. In a 
moment the straw-thatched roofs of the boats were in 
flames, and the rowers, throwing down their oars, were 
making for the shore. A moment later both banks 
blazed and roared with gunshots, and a horrible rain of 
bullets fell upon the boats. To make the horror worse, 
the boats drifted upon the mud banks and stuck fast. 

At last the firing ceased. The women and children 
who were still alive were taken ashore again and shut 



THE SIEGE OF DELHI 495 

up this time in a place called the Savada House. The 
men were all killed. So the Nana Sahib kept faith ! 

But the British were coming. General Havelock 
and his brave soldiers were not far off, and the Nana 
made haste to finish his cruel work. He ordered his 
sepoys to fire at the women and children through the 
windows of the Savada House. Even the sepoys, how- 
ever, turned from this awful work and aimed high, so 
that the shots fell upon the roof and did no harm. 

But in the evening five men went into the house. 
Horrible shrieks were heard, then all was silence. The 
work was finished. All the women and children were 
dead. 

The bodies of those poor women and children were 
thrown into a well, and when the British took Cawnpore, 
the horror of that well was one of the first sights they 
saw. Now it is covered over. A marble angel, holding 
a palm branch, guards the spot, and a garden blooms 
where that ghastly house stood. 

The Nana Sahib was never punished. When his 
sepoys were defeated before Cawnpore, he galloped 
away and was seen no more. People said that he was 
not a man, but an evil spirit, and that when his work 
was done, he vanished as a spirit would. 



CHAPTER CVII 

VICTORIA— THE PIPES AT LUCKNOW 

LucKNOw, too, was besieged, and terrible things were 
happening there. The chief officer at Lucknow was Sir 
Henry Lawrence, who had so sadly to refuse to send help 
to Cawnpore. He was a brave and wise man. But he 
was killed almost at the very beginning of the siege. 

One day while he was talking with some of his officers 
a shell burst into the room. When the smoke cleared 
away a little, some one said, * Are you hurt, Sir Henry ? ' 

There was a moment's silence. Then Sir Henry said 
quietly, 'I am killed.' He died two days later. 'Never 
yield,' he said, ' let every man die at his post rather than 
yield.' 

For nearly three months the siege went on. The 
white people were shut into a strong place called the 
Residency, and although they were better off than the 
poor people at Cawnpore, many died of wounds and sick- 
ness. It was three months of horror beneath a blazing 
sky, amid the shriek and roar of cannon. Men grew 
hard-eyed and gaunt, women drooped and faded. Would 
help never come ? 

At last General Havelock, having defeated the Nana 
Sahib, marched towards Lucknow, but he had lost so 
many of his men that he dared not attack. He was 
obliged to wait for more soldiers, and the waiting was 
hard for men with the memories of Cawnpore in their 
hearts. 

490 



THE PIPES AT LUCKNOW 497 

But at last Sir James Outram joined Havelock, and 
together they marched to Lucknow. 

As week after week passed, and no help came, the 
brave defenders of Lucknow grew sick with longing and 
despair. One evening a sergeant's wife called Jessie, who 
had been ill, was lying asleep while her mistress, who had 
been nursing her, sat by her side. Jessie stirred and 
muttered in her sleep, then, suddenly springing up and 
tiu-ning her startled eyes on her mistress, she cried, 
' Dinna ye hear them ? Dinna ye hear them ? ' 

The lady thought that Jessie had gone mad. ' Jessie 
dear, lie down,' she said, ' you are not well.' 

'No, no,' cried Jessie, 'I'm well, I'm well, it's the 
Campbells I 'm hearin'. Dinna ye hear them ? Dinna 
ye hear them ? ' 

It was indeed the sound of the pipes. 

Soon not only Jessie, but all that weary band heard 
the glad sound. The terrible agony of waiting was over. 
General Havelock and his Highlanders were at the gates. 
Lucknow was relieved. 

* Pipes of the misty moorlands, voice of the glens and hills; 
The droning of the torrents, the treble of the rills — 
Not the braes of broom and heather nor the mountains dark with 

rain. 
Nor maiden bower, nor border tower, have heard your sweetest strain. 

' Dear to the Lowland reaper, and plaided mountaineer. 
To the cottage and the castle the Scottish pipes are dear — 
Sweet sounds the ancient pibroch o'er mountain^ loch, and glade ; 
But the sweetest of all music the pipes at Lucknow played. 

' Day by day the Indian tiger louder yelled, and nearer crept ; 
Round and round the jungle serpent near and nearer circles swept. 
" Pray for rescue, wives and mothers, — pray to-day," the soldier said ; 
"To-morrow death 's between us, and the wrong and shame we dread." 

2 I 



498 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' Oh^ they listened, looked and waited, till their hope became despair ; 
And the sobs of low bewailing filled the pauses of their prayer. 
Then upspake a Scottish maiden, with her ear unto the ground : 
" Dinna ye hear it ? — dinna ye hear it ? the pipes of Havelock sound." 

'Hushed the wounded man his groaning; hushed the wife her little 
ones ; 
Alone they heard the drum-roll and the roar of sepoy guns. 
But to sounds of home and childhood the Highland ear was true ; — 
As the mother's cradle crooning the mountain pipes she knew. 

* Like the march of soundless music through the vision of the seer, 
More of feeling than of hearing, of the heart than of the ear. 
She knew the droning pibroch, she knew the Campbells' call : 

" Hark, hear ye no MacGregors' .'' — the grandest o' them all." 

* Oh, they listened, dumb and breathless, and they caught the sound at 

last. 
Faint and far beyond the Goomtee, rose and fell the pipers' blast. 
Then a burst of wild thanksgiving mingled woman's voice and man's. 
" God be praised — the march of Havelock ! the piping of the clans." 

* Louder, nearer, fierce as vengeance, sharp and shrill as swords at 

strife 
Came the wild MacGi-egors' clan call, stinging all the air to life. 
But when the far-off dust-cloud to plaided legions grew. 
Full tenderly and blithsomely the pipes of rescue blew. 

* Round the silver domes of Lucknow, Moslem mosque and Pagan 

shrine, 
Breathed the air to Britons dearest, the air of Auld Lang Syne. 
O'er the cruel roll of war-drums rose that sweet and homelike strain ; 
And the tartan clove the turban as the Goomtee cleaves the plain.' 

But although the coming of Havelock and his men 
saved Lucknow for a time, they were not strong enough 
to quite defeat the sepoys, and take all the women and 
children to a safe place. So the siege began again and 
lasted for about two months more. But at last Sir Colin 
Campbell landed in India, and, a few days later, marched 
to Lucknow. This time it really was relieved. 





/' 




'"DINNA YB hear them I DIISNA YE HEAR THEM I'" 



THE PIPES AT LUCKNOW 499 

Little more than a week later General Havelock, who 
had fought so bravely for his countrymen, who had 
endured so much to bring them help, died. India is very 
far from Britain, and in those days news travelled very 
slowly, so the Queen, not knowing that Havelock had 
died, made him a baronet, that is, she gave him the title 
of ' Sir,' in reward for his brave deeds. But three days 
before the Queen did this, the brave general was lying 
still and quiet, resting after his great labours. 

General Havelock was a good as well as a great man. 
Like Cromwell he taught his soldiers to fight and to pray, 
and * Havelock's saints,' as they were called, were well 
known in India. But Havelock's saints, like Cromwell's 
Ironsides, showed that they could fight as well as pray. 

After the relief of Lucknow the Mutiny was nearly 
at an end. Lord Canning made a proclamation offer- 
ing pardon to all except those who had actually murdered 
the British, and gradually the country became peaceful 
again. 

The East India Company, which until now had prac- 
tically ruled India, was done away with, and the Queen 
took the government into her own hands. As Victoria 
could not herself live in India, she appointed a viceroy. 
Viceroy means one in place of a king. Lord Canning, 
who, through all the terrible days of the Mutiny, had 
proved himself to be a good governor, was made the 
first Viceroy. 



CHAPTER CVIII 

VICTORIA— UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS 

' Let no one think much of a trifling expense ; 
Who knows what may happen a hundred years hence ? 
The loss of America what can repay ? 
New colonies seek for in Botany Bay.' 

In the days of King George iii. there was a great 
sailor called Captain Cook. He made many voyages 
into unknown seas and discovered new lands. Among 
these lands were the islands of Australia and New 
Zealand. 

It was in April 1770 a.d. that Captain Cook first 
landed in Australia, in a bay which he called Botany 
Bay, because there were so many plants of all kinds 
there. At that time the island was inhabited only by 
wild, black savages, and Captain Cook took possession of 
the whole eastern coast in the name of King George, 
calling it New South Wales. 

While America was a British colony, wicked people, 
instead of being sent to prison for punishment, as 
they are now, were sent to work on the cotton planta- 
tions or farms there. After America was lost, con- 
victs, as these wicked people are called, could no 
longer be sent there, and British statesmen began to 
look round for some other country to which they could 
be sent. 



UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS 501 

Then it was that Austraha was thought of. It 
was decided to form a convict colony there. It was 
hoped that free people would go too, and that soon 
Australia would become as great a colony as America 
had been. 

So there sailed out from England a little fleet of 
ships, carrying Captain Philip as the Governor of the 
new colony, and nearly a thousand people, of whom 
more than seven hundred were prisoners ; the rest were 
officers and marines to guard the prisoners. They took 
with them food and clothes enough to last two years, 
also tools for building houses, and ploughs and every- 
thing needed for farm work. 

As the ships passed the Cape of Good Hope, they 
stopped there to take in more food, and also animals 
with which to stock the farms which the British hoped 
to make in Australia. They took so many animals 
on board that the ships looked more like Noah's arks 
than anything else. 

When the ships reached Australia, Captain Philip 
landed, a flagstaff was planted, and soon the Union Jack 
floated out to the sound of British cheers. The health 
of the King was drunk, and then Captain Philip made 
a speech to the convicts. He told them that now, in 
this new country, they had another chance to forget 
their wicked ways, and to become again good British 
subjects. It was the first speech which had ever been 
made in the English language in that far land, and, when 
he had finished, the silence of the lonely shore was again 
broken by the sound of British cheers. So the town of 
Sydney was founded. 

Governor Philip and his strange company of rough, 
bad men soon set to work. Everything had to be done. 
Trees had to be felled, and stones quarried and broken 



502 OUR ISLAND STORY 

for the building of houses, and the making of roads and 
harbours. There was so much to do that httle time 
was left for farm work, and the settlers in this new 
colony nearly starved. It seemed as if the people at 
home had forgotten them, for the food which they had 
promised to send never came. 

Day by day eager eyes looked out vainly over the 
blue sea, straining for the sight of a white sail. But 
no ship came. Prisoners and warders alike grew gaunt 
and pale. Nearly all their food was gone. The 
Governor even gave up some sacks of flour which 
were his own. *I do not wish,' he said, 'to have any- 
thing which others cannot have. If any convict com- 
plains, he may come and see that at Government House 
we are no better off than he is.' 

Still no help came. Little work could be done 
by men who were starving, and the weary days dragged 
slowly past for the handful of white people who, 
utterly cut off from all others, were ignorant of what 
was happening in the great world, which lay beyond the 
blue waves. 

But even in the darkest hour, they never forgot 
that they were Britons. ' Our distress did not make 
us forget that this was the birthday of our beloved 
King,' wrote one. ' In the morning flags were dis- 
played, and at noon three volleys of musketry were 
fired as an acknowledgment that we were Britons, 
who, however distant and distressed, revered their King, 
and loved their country.' 

At last, after three years, a sail was seen. Oh, 
what joy ! Help at last, and news at last from home I 
But alas ! the new ship brought little food, and many 
more convicts. It brought, however, the assurance 
that the little colony was not forgotten. Other ships 



UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS 503 

had been sent with food, but they had been wrecked 
on the way. 

A fortnight later another ship arrived, then another 
and another. The colony was saved for the time at 
least, although famine threatened them again more 
than once. At one time things were so bad that 
when any one was asked to dine at Government 
House, he was requested to bring his own bread with 
him. 

In a few years, free settlers began to come to 
Australia. They were farmers, and soon corn was 
grown in such quantities that the colony was freed 
from all fear of famine. Later still, a gentleman 
brought wool-bearing sheep to Australia, that is, sheep 
which have fine fleeces, and now the rearing of 
sheep for their wool is one of the chief industries of 
Australia. 

As the free settlers increased in number, they 
objected to having convicts sent among them, for, 
because of these wild, bad men, the colony began 
to have an evil name. When gold was discovered 
in Australia, many more people flocked there. Then 
Queen Victoria and her government decided at last 
that it was not a good thing to send convicts to the 
colonies, and so in 1867 a.d. the last convict ship 
set out for Australia. After that the British shut up 
those who did wrong in strong prisons at home. 

Australia has grown quickly into a great and wealthy 
country. I cannot tell you the history of it here, 
but although it is now called the Commonwealth of 
Austraha, and has a Parliament of its own, it is still 
part of the Empire of Greater Britain. 

Australia lies quite at the other side of the world 
from Britain, and when it is day in the one it is 



504 OUR ISLAND STORY 

night in the other. And when Australians look up 
to the sky at night they see the stars of the Southern 
Cross, instead of the Pole Star and the Plough which 
the British see. Yet the people in the two islands 
are friends and brothers, and ties of love draw them 
together across the ocean waves. 



CHAPTER CIX 

VICTORIA— FROM CANNIBAL TO CHRISTIAN 

In 1769 A.D., Captain Cook landed in North Island, New 
Zealand. He cut the name of his ship upon a tree, 
planted the British flag, and claimed the land in the 
name of King George iii. Then he sailed all round the 
island, proving to himself and his officers that it was 
indeed an island. In January of the following year, he 
landed in South Island, again hoisted the Union Jack, 
and again claimed the land, and all the lands near in the 
name of King George. 

For many years no white people settled in New 
Zealand, for it was peopled by a wild and warlike race of 
savages called Maoris. These Maoris were cannibals, 
that is, people who eat human beings. After a battle, 
those who were killed would be roasted and eaten by the 
victors. The Maoris fought among themselves, and they 
fought with the white traders who came from time to 
time to their shores. Yet although they were cannibals, 
the Maoris were not nearly such a low kind of savage as 
the Australian, and a missionary called Marsden, hearing 
about these islands and their people, made up his mind 
to teach them to be Christian. 

Mr. Marsden was working among the convicts in 
Australia, and one day he set sail from there, and landed 
in New Zealand. For the price of twelve axes, he bought 



506 OUR ISLAND STORY 

two hundred acres of land from one of the Maori chiefs, 
and there he founded a missionary settlement. Mr. 
Marsden himself could not stay, for his work was in 
Australia, but he left two men behind him who taught 
the natives, and he often came back to the islands and 
was greatly loved by the Maoris. 

For many years Britain did not acknowledge New 
Zealand as a colony. Dreadful deeds were done there, 
but when the British Government was asked to put a 
stop to them, the answer was that the islands were not 
within His Majesty's dominions. Yet at other times 
the Government acted as if the islands were part of the 
Empire. 

It was only very gradually that white people went 
to live in New Zealand. The first colonists who came 
did not stay long, for the dreadful customs of the savage 
Maoris frightened them away again. That was not to 
be wondered at, for, in spite of all the missionaries could 
do, many of the Maoris remained cannibals. 

When Queen Victoria came to the throne there 
were only about two thousand white people in all the 
islands. But, as many of these were British, it was felt 
at last that it was the duty of the British to do some- 
thing to protect their colonists against the Maoris, and 
also to protect the Maoris from being cheated and ill- 
treated by bad white people, who went there to steal the 
land from the native chiefs. 

So a governor was sent out from Britain who was 
told to make a treaty with these native chiefs. This 
treaty was signed at a place called Waitangi, in North 
Island. 

The Governor, with all the principal white people, 
sat upon a platform which had been set up in an open 
space near the town. Round them sat the Maori chiefs, 



FROM CANNIBAL TO CHRISTIAN 507 

and behind them stood all the rest of the white people. 
Beyond gleamed the white of the British tents, gay with 
flags, which showed brightly against the background of 
waving green trees. 

When all were gathered, the Governor spoke to the 
people, and, as he could not speak the Maori language, 
one of the missionaries translated his words to them. 
He told them how the great White Queen in an island 
far away Avas anxious that they should be happy and at 
peace. And because so many of the great White 
Queen's own subjects had come to live in these islands 
of New Zealand, she felt that she must send a governor 
to rule them and to see justice done between them and 
the Maoris. The great White Queen asked the Maori 
chiefs to acknowledge her as over-lord, promising that if 
they did so she would protect them, their families, 
their people, and their goods, as she protected all her 
other subjects and their possessions. 

Then the Maori chiefs spoke. Some of them did 
not want to sign the treaty. ' Send the man away,' 
said one, springing up and pointing to the Governor, 
' do not sign the paper. If you do you will become 
slaves, you will be made to break stones upon the roads. 
Your lands will be taken away from you, and you will no 
longer be chiefs.' 

Another chief then rose. He spoke so calmly and so 
well, that all the white people were quite astonished. 
* You will be our father,' he said, turning to the 
Governor, ' you must not allow us to become slaves. 
You will keep all our old customs, you will not let our 
land be taken from us.' 

This chief was a very great man, very mighty in 
battle, so the others listened to him, and, after more 
talking, it was agreed that they should think about it 



508 OUR ISLAND STORY 

for a day, before signing the treaty. Then with cheers 
from both the natives and the white people, the meeting 
was ended. 

Next day, with firing of guns and great ceremony, 
the treaty was signed. The great chief who had spoken 
in favour of the treaty signed his name as the mission- 
aries had taught him to do, but the others made marks 
Hke the marks called tattooing with which their bodies 
were covered. 

A few months later the chiefs of South Island also 
signed the treaty, and the Union Jack was hoisted amid 
the thunder of guns and the cheers of the people. So 
New Zealand became an acknowledged British colony, 
nearly one hundred years after it was discovered and 
claimed by Cook. 

Many years have passed since the signing of this treaty, 
and many things have happened of which I cannot tell 
you here. New Zealand has become an important part 
of the British Empire. Instead of two thousand white 
people there are now about seven hundred thousand in 
the islands. It is a self-governing colony and, like 
Australia, has a Parliament of its own, and in New 
Zealand the women help to choose the members for 
Parliament, just as the men do. 



CHAPTER CX 

VICTORIA— BOER AND BRITON 

In the days when Cromwell was ruling Britain with his 
iron hand, a few stern-faced, silent men sailed out from 
Holland and landed in South Africa. There they made 
their home, and there they grew rich and prospered. 

In the reign of George iii., while Napoleon was con- 
quering all Europe, British soldiers landed in Africa 
and took possession of Cape Town. Later still, when 
Napoleon had fallen, the Cape of Good Hope became 
a British possession by treaty with Holland. Soon 
thousands of British settled there, and slowly but surely 
the colony grew. 

So side by side these two races, Dutch and British, 
spread and prospered. But they could not live together 
in peace. It seemed as if in all the wide veldt there was 
not room for both. 

I cannot tell you here of all the quarrels and dispeace ; 
of how the different colonies called Orange Free State, 
Transvaal, Natal, and Cape Colony arose; of how the 
Transvaal at one time owned British rule and at another 
did not ; of how Britain fought and suffered until at last 
the long years of unrest and trouble ended in the great 
Boer War ; — I cannot tell you of all this, for it would take 
too long, and much of it would not seem interesting to 
you. I will not talk much either about the Boer War, 
for the tears it caused are hardly dry ; the graves it made 
are hardly green. 



510 OUR ISLAND STORY 

All through this book I have tried to give you reasons 
for the wars of which I have told, and, although now that 
we have come to our own time it becomes more difficult, I 
will give you one reason for the Boer War, which you 
may understand. 

From the very beginning of our story you have seen 
how Britons have fought for freedom, and how step by 
step they have won it, until at last Britons live under 
just laws and have themselves the power to make these 
laws. For it is now acknowledged that the Briton who 
pays taxes has the right to help to frame the laws under 
which he lives. You remember how America was lost 
because King George iii. tried to force the Americans 
to pay taxes, although they had not the right to choose 
and send members to Parliament. 

Now the Transvaal was a republic, and the government 
was in the hands of the Boers, as the South African 
Dutch had come to be called. Yet in some vague way 
the Boers owned the Queen of Britain as over-lord. 
Those who lived in the Transvaal were chiefly Boer 
farmers, but gold was discovered in the country and then 
many other people went there hoping to make a great 
deal of money. ISIany of these people were British, and 
although the Boers were not glad to see them, and wished 
they would keep away from the land which they con- 
sidered their very own, these British helped to make the 
Boer country rich. They paid heavy taxes, but they 
were called Uitlanders, which means, ' outlanders ' or 
' strangers.' They were harshly treated in many ways, 
they were not allowed to vote for members of Parliament, 
and so had no voice in making the laws under which they 
had to live. 

You have heard how Britons for centuries had fought 
for this very freedom which was now denied them in 



BOER AND BRITON 511 

South Africa, and you can imagine how hard it was for 
Britons to bear what seemed to them so great an injustice. 
This is only one reason why the Boers and Britons could 
not live in peace together, but it is one which you can 
understand. The Boers, too, had their troubles and 
their grievances, and, when war came, they fought as 
patriots fight for their country. 

The British in South Africa appealed at last to the 
mother-country for help. The mother-country gave help, 
and in October 1899 a.d. war broke out. 

It was a dreadful war, and lasted for two years and a 
half. We have not yet forgotten the days of sick sus- 
pense during the long months when Ladysmith and 
' brave little Mafeking ' were besieged ; nor the gloom 
which fell upon us as we read of disaster and defeat ; 
nor the cheers and sobs which greeted the news of the 
relief of Ladysmith and then of Mafeking. 

But in the darkest hour one thing became certain. 
The little island was not fighting alone. The Empire of 
Greater Britain was no mere name. From all sides, from 
New Zealand, Australia, Canada, from every province of 
Greater Britain, from every land over which the Union 
Jack floats, came offers of help. Britain was fighting, not 
for herself, but for her colony, and in the struggle her colo- 
nies stood by her, side by side, and shoulder to shoulder. 

At length the dark days passed, and the whisper of 
peace was heard. It was a whisper which grew louder 
until it was plainly heard. 

The Boer leaders gathered at a place called A^ereenig- 
ing to talk together over the terms of peace. Vereenig- 
ing means * union,' so it seemed a good place at which to 
have the meeting. The Boers were treated as the guests 
of the British, who prepared a camp for them and did 
everything for their comfort, but as they were led to the 



512 OUR ISLAND STORY 

camp, through the British lines, the Boers were blind- 
folded and guarded by soldiers of the Black Watch. 
This was done because the Boers might not have agreed 
to make peace, and then the knowledge they had gained 
of the British camp would have helped them greatly. 

The meeting lasted about ten days, but at last, on 
Sunday, June 1, 1902 a.d., the good news reached 
London. Peace was proclaimed. 

* Here, where my fresh-turned furrows run, 

And the deep soil glistens red, 
I will repair the wrong that was done 

To the living and the dead. 
Here where the senseless bullet fell, 

And the barren shrapnel burst, 
I will plant a tree, I will dig a well. 

Against the heat and the thirst. 

* Here, in a large and sunlit land. 

Where no wrong bites to the bone, 
I will lay my hand in my neighbour's hand. 

And together we will atone 
For the set folly and the red breach 

And the black waste of it all. 
Giving and taking counsel each 

Over the cattle-kraal. 

* Here, in the waves and the troughs of the plains 

Where the healing stillness lies. 
And the vast, benignant sky restrains 

And the long days make wise — 
Bless to our use the rain and the sun 

And the blind seed in its bed. 
That we may repair the wrong that was done 

To the living and the dead ! ' ^ 

The south of Africa is now entirely a British colony, 
and we hope that soon it will be as loyal, as happy, and 
as prosperous as any other British colony. 

^ By the kind permission of Mr. Rudyard Kipling. 




ca 



CQ 



BOER AND BRITON 513 

Queen Victoria reigned for sixty -three years, which is 
longer than any other British sovereign has ever reigned. 
When she had been on the throne fifty years, great 
rejoicings were held. 

On the 24th of June, the anniversary of the day on 
which she had been crowned, the streets and houses 
were everywhere decorated, and bonfires and fire- works 
blazed. This year was called the Jubilee Year. 

Ten years later Victoria was still upon the throne, 
and again the people rejoiced. The whole air was filled 
with shouts and cheers as the white-haired lady, who was 
Queen of half the world, drove through the streets of 
London on her way to St. Paul's Cathedral, there to 
thank God for her great and glorious reign. This was 
called the Diamond Jubilee Year. 

Three years later, while the dark war cloud still hung 
over the land, the news was flashed through all the great 
empire, 'The Queen is dead.' At the close of a dull 
winter's day, the sad toll of muffled bells rang out the 
message to every town and village ; and from east to west, 
wherever the flag of red, white, and blue floats, hearts 
were sad. 



' May children of our children say, 
She wrought her people lasting good ; 

' Her court was pure ; her life serene ; 

God gave her peace ; her land reposed ; 
A thousand claims to reverence closed 
In her as iMother, Wife, and Queen ; 

' And statesmen at her council met 

Who knew the seasons when to take 
Occasion by the hand, and make 
The bounds of freedom wider yet 
2 K 



514 OUR ISLAND STORY 

' By shaping some august decree, 

Which kept her throne unshaken still. 
Broad-based upon her people's will, 
And compass'd by the inviolate sea.' 

King Edward vii. now reigns. He is the eldest son 
of Queen Victoria, and there is little need to tell his story, 
or the story of the great Empire over which he rules to- 
day, for it is the story of the world in which we live, and 
of our own deeds in it. Day by day we are making history, 
which those who come after us will read. May we make 
it fair and beautiful, and may Loyalty and Liberty be 
woven through the story. 

* God of our fathers, known of old, 

Lord of our far-flung battle-line, 
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold 

Dominion over palm and pine — 
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 
Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 

* The tumult and the shouting dies ; 

The captains and the kings depart : 
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, 

An humble and a contrite heart. 
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet. 
Lest we forget — lest we forget ! ' ^ 

1 By the kind permission of Mr. Rudyard Kipling. 



LIST OF KINGS 
FROM EDWARD THE CONFESSOR 

SAXON KINGS. 

Edward the Confessor reigned 24 years, from 1042 to 1066 a.d. 
Harold II. reigned a little more than nine months, from 
January 5th to October 14th, 1066 a.d. 

NORMAN KINGS. 

WiLiJAM I. reigned 21 years, from 1066 to 1087 a.d. 

William II. „ 13 „ „ 1087 „ 1100 a.d. 

Henry I. „ 35 „ „ 1100 „ 1135 a.d. 

Stephen „ 19 „ „ 1135 „ 1154 a.d. 

PLANTAGENET KINGS. 

Henry IT. reigned 35 years, from 1154 to 1189 a.d. 
Richard I. „ 10 „ „ 1189 „ 1199 a.d. 

John „ 17 „ „ 1199 „ 1216 a.d. 

Henry HI. „ 56 „ „ 1216 „ 1272 a.d. 

Edward I. „ 35 „ „ 1272 „ 1307 a.d. 

Edward II. „ 20 „ „ 1307 „ 1327 a.d. 

Edward HI. „ 50 „ „ 1327 „ 1377 a.d. 
Richard II. „ 22 ,, „ 1377 „ 1399 a.d. 
Henry IV. „ 14 „ „ 1399 „ 1413 a.d. 

Henry V. „ 9 „ „ 1413 „ 1422 a.d. 

Henry VL „ 39 „ „ 1422 „ 1461 a.d. 

Edward IV. „ 22 „ „ 1461 „ 1483 a.d. 

Edward V. reigned a little more than two months, from April 

6th to June 26th, 1483. 
Richard III. reigned 2 years, from 1483 to 1485 a.d. 



516 OUR ISLAND STORY 

TUDOR KINGS. 

Henry VII. reigned 24 years, from 1485 to 1509 a.d. 

Henuy VIII. „ 38 „ „ 1509 „ 1547 a.d. 

Edward VI. „ 6 „ „ 1547 ., 1553 a.d. 

Mary I. „ 5 „ „ 1553 „ 1558 a.d. 

Elizabeth „ 45 „ ., 1558 „ 1603 a.d. 

STUART KINGS. 

James I. of England and VI. of Scotland reigned 58 years, 
36 as King of Scotland only, from 1567 to 1603, and 22 as 
King of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1603 to 1625 a.d. 

Charles I. reigned 24 years, from 1625 to 1649 a.d. 

The Commonwealth lasted 11 years, from 1649 to 1660 a.d. 

STUART KINGS. 

Charles II. reigned 25 years, from 1660 to 1685 a.d. 

James II. of England, VII. of Scotland, reigned 3 years, from 

1685 to 1688 a.d. 
Mary II. and William III. reigned together for 5 years, from 

1689 to 1694 A.D. 
William III. reigned alone for 8 years, from 1694 to 1702 a.d.. 
Anne reigned 12 years, from 1702 to 1714 a.d. 

HANOVERIAN KINGS. 

George I. reigned 13 years, from 1714 to 1727 a.d. 

George II. „ 33 „ 

George III. „ 60 „ 

George IV. „ 10 „ 

William IV. „ 7 „ 

Victoria „ 63 „ 



1727 




1760 


a.d. 


1760 




1820 


A.D. 


1820 




1830 


A.D. 


1830 




1837 


A.D. 


1837 




1901 


A.D. 



INDEX 



Agincourt, battle of, 254. 

Alban, St., the martyrdom of, 26-30. 

Albert, the Prince Consort, 472, 477. 

Albion, King of Britain, 3 ; a name 
for Britain, 4. 

Alfred, King, 64-7G : how he learned 
to read, 65-7 ; his struggles with the 
Danes, 69, 70, 74 ; in the swine- 
herd's cottage, 70-2 ; in hiding in 
Athelney, 73 ; his wise rule, 75-6 ; 
how he divided the day, 76. 

America, discovery of, 2!)5. 

American Colonies, how they were 
lost, 442-7. 

Amphibalus converts Alban to the 
Christian faith, 27. 

Angleland or England, 59. 

Angles, a tribe of Saxons, 58 ; ' not 
Angles but angels,' 61. 

Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry viii., 307, 
309-10. 

Anne of Cleves, wife of Henry viii., 
810. 

Anne, Queen, 415-8 : and the Duchess 
of Marlborough, 416. 

Argyle's Rebellion, 395-7. 

Arkwright, Sir Richard, and the spin- 
ning-wheel, 448-52. 

Armada, the Invincible, .338-41. 

Arthur, King, the coming of, 51-8 ; 
founds the Round Table, 54-7. 

Arthur, Prince, of Brittany, the sad 
story of, 168-70. 

Athelney (' the Isle of Nobles '), King 
Alfred in, 73. 

Augustine, St., converts the Angles, 
61-3. 

Aurelius Ambrosius, .35 ; burns Vorti- 
gern in his castle, 4.3-4; 46-8. 

Australia, the settlement of, 500-3. 



Austrian Succession, War of the, 
424-6. 

Balaclava, battle of, 484. 

Bannockburn, battle of, 205-11. 

Barnet, battle of, 274-5. 

Barons' War, the, 187-8, 

Battle Abbey, 114. 

Battle Bridge (Stamford Bridge), 104. 

Berthold, the poor butcher of Rouen, 

183, 134. 
Black Death, the, 283. 
Black Hole of Calcutta, the, 485-6. 
Blake defeats Van Tromp, 881, 
Blondel the Minstrel, how he found 

Richard Coeur-de-Lion. 163-5. 
Bloody Assize, the, 399. ' 
Boadicea, the Warrior Queen, 17- 

21. 
Bonnie Prince Charlie, the story of, 

425-32. 
Books first written on strips of parch- 
ment, 65. 
' Boston Tea-Party,' the, 444-5. 
Bosworth, battle of, 285. 
Boy Kings, the six, 77. 
Boyne, battle of the, 410. 
Britain named after Brutus, King of 

Albion, 3. 
Britons, ancient, their descendants, 

59. 
Brutus, King of Albion, 3. 

Calais, siege of, 223-9 ; the only 
French possession left to England, 
261 ; lost to England, 829. 

Caligula ' conquers ' Britain, 18-14. 

Canada, British conquest of, 437-41. 

' Candle lit in England that has never 
been put out,' 327-8. 

517 



518 



OUR ISLAND STORY 



Canning, Lord, 492 ; first Viceroy of 

India, 499. 
Cannon first used at Crecy, 219. 
Canute the Dane, divides England with 

Edmond Ironside, 84 ; commands the 

waves to go back, 85-7. 
Caractacus, his stand against the 

Romans, 16 ; a prisoner before 

Claudius, 16. 
Carisbrooke Castle, Charles i. at, 

378. 
Cassevelaunus, British leader, 11. 
Catherine Howard, wife of Henry viii., 

310-1. 
Catherine Parr,wife of Henry viii., 311. 
Catholics, Roman, the freeing of the, 

464-5. 
Cavaliers and Roundheads, 368-9. 
'Cavalier Parliament,' 887. 
Cawnpore, siege of, 493-5. 
Cecil, Sir William (Lord Burleigh), 

342. 
Chalons, the Little War of, 193-5. 
Chariots of the ancient British, 7. 
Charles i., 364-75 : his quarrel with 

Parliament, 364-8 ; and tlie Great 

Rebellion, 368 ; how he was brought 

to his death, 372-5. 
Charles ii. (the ' Merry Monarch '), his 

adventures after Worcester, 877-80 ; 

386-7 ; in the pay of the French 

King, 392, 393. 
Clarence, Duke of, 272, 275, 276. 
Claverhouse, 394 ; death of, at Killie- 

crankie, 411. 
Clive in India, 435-6. 
Coifi spears the Saxon idol, 63. 
Coins anciently cut in pieces to give 

change, 198. 
Commons first summoned to Parlia- 
ment, 188. 
Commonwealth, the, 376-86. 
Constans leaves the monastery to be- 
come a king, 32, 33 ; assassinated, 

34. 
Constantine drives back Picts and 

Scots, 32. 
Cook, Captain, his discoveries, 500, 605. 
Cope, Sir John, at Prestonpans, 427-8. 
Corn Laws, the story of the, 474-6. 
Covenant, National, signing of the, 

366. 
Crecy, battle of, 216-21. 
Crimean War, 480-6. 



Cromwell, Oliver, 369, 373, 376-82; 

as Lord Protector, 383-4. 
Cromwell, Richard, 385. 
Cromwell, Thomas, 810. 
Crusades, the, 155-7. 
Crystal Palace, building of the, 478. 
Culloden, battle of, 480. 
Cumberland, the '^Butcher,' 4.30. 
'Curfew,' 122. 

Danes, invade England, 64, 68-77 ; 
massacre of the, 79-80 ; masters of 
England, 81-2 ; receive northern 
part of England, 84. 

Danegelt or Danemoney, 79. 

Danelagh or Daneland, 76. 

David I. of Scotland, defeated at North- 
allerton, 138-9. 

Decima leads the Roman landing, 7-8. 

Declaration of Indulgence, the, 400-2. 

Declaration of American Indepen- 
dence, 445. 

' Defender of the Faith,' 804-5. 

Delhi, siege of, 492. 

Denewulf the Swineherd, 70, 72. 

Dettingen, the last battle in which an 
English king led soldiers, 425. 

Domesday Book ('Book of Judgment'), 
122-3. ■ 

Dover, fight between Normans and 
the men of, 89-90. 

Drake, Sir Francis, 838-40. 

Druids, their worship, 24, 25. 

Dutch fleet burns shipping in the 
Thames, 387. 

East India Company, 434 ; powers 
taken over by Crown, 499. 

Edgar iEtheling, 94, 101. 

Edmund Ironside, how he fought for 
the crown, 81-4. 

Edward the Elder, King, 77. 

Edward the Confessor, brings over 
Normans, 88, 89, 91 ; promises 
William of Normandy the crown, 
90 ; 93. 

Edward i. (Longshanks), and the 
poisoned dagger, 189-92 ; at Chalons, 
194-6 ; conquers Wales, 197-9 ; and 
the Scots, 200-8. 

Edward ii. of Caernarvon, first Prince 
of Wales, 199 ; 205 ; at Bannock- 
burn, 20.9-10; deposed and mur- 
dered, 211. 



INDEX 



519 



Edward iii. of Windsor, claims the 

French crown, 213 ; campaigns in 

France, 216-21, 223-9 ; 232. 
Edward iv. of York, 268-76 : Edward 

of Lancaster before, 275. 
Edward v., the King who was never 

crowned, 277-82 ; murdered in the 

Tower, 283-4. 
Edward vi. (the Boy King), 313-7. 
Edward the Black Prince, at Crecy, 

216, 219-21 ; at Poitiers, 230-1 ; his 

death, 233. 
Egbert, the first King of England, 59. 
Eleanor, Princess, sucks her husband's 

poisoned wound, 190. 
Elizabeth Woodville (Queen to Edward 

IV.), 272, 278-9. 
Elizabeth, Queen, a prisoner in the 

Tower, 322-6 ; 331 ; her vanity, 332, 

348 ; 338-41 ; her death, 350-1. 
English driven from France, 261. 
Essex, Earl of. Queen Elizabeth's 

favourite, 346-50. 
Ethelbert, King of Kent, becomes a 

Christian, 62. 
Ethelred the Unready, 77-82. 
Ethelwulf, King of VVessex, 65. 
Excalibur, King Arthur's wonderful 

sword, 52-3. 
Exhibition, the first Great, 477-9. 

Fettdal System, what it was, 123. 
Field of the Cloth of Gold, the, 298- 

302. 
'Fiery Cross,' the, and its message, 

395-6. 
' Fifteen,' the, 422. 
Flodden, battle of, 299. 
Forefathers' Day in New England, 

361. 
' Forty-five,' the, 432. 
France, King of, title claimed by 

English kings, 212-3, 253; title given 

up by George iii., 455. 
Franklin, Sir John, and the North- 
West Passage, 487-9. 
French driven out of India, 436 ; and 

Canada, 437-41. 

Galley, the Roman, what it was like, 

6. 
Garter, Order of the, founded, 221-2. 
Gascoigne, Lord-Chief-Justice, sends 

Prince Hal to prison, 249-50 ; 252. 



Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, 187-39. 
George i. (Elector of Hanover), his 

claim to the Crown, 419 ; 420-4. 
George ii., 424-42. 
George iii. (' Farmer George '), 

442-63. 
George iv. ('the first gentleman in 

Europe '), 463-5. 
Giant's Dance, the, 45-9. 
Gibraltar given up to Great Britain, 

415. 
Gilbert and Rohesia, the story of, 

142-4. 
Glencoe, the massacre of, 411-3. 
Godwin, Earl of Wessex, 88, 90. 
Grand Alliance, the, 414. 
Great Rebellion, the, 368-75. 
Gregory, Pope, and the pretty Saxon 

children, 60-61 ; sends St. Augustine 

to England, 61-62. 
Grey, Lady Jane, 318-20. 
Gunhilda, the slaying of, 80. 
Guy Fawices, the story of, 353-7. 

Habeas Corpus Act, what it provides, 

393. 
Hadrian builds wall across Britain, 23, 

24. 
Hanover, a woman not permitted to 

rule in, 472. 
Harfleur, siege of, 253. 
Harold, Earl of Wessex, 91-3 ; as 

King, 94-9 ; at Stamford Bridge, 

104-7; at Hastings, 110, 113-4. 
Harold Hardrada and Tostig invade 

England, 102, 104-7. 
Harry Hotspur, 246-7. 
Hastings, battle of, 110-14. 
Hatfield, Queen Elizabeth at, 326, 

331. 
Hengist and Horsa's invasion, 36-40 ; 

Hengist's treachery, 42, 43 ; 45. 
Henry l (Beauclerc), 129-36 : marries 

granddaughter of Margaret of 

Scotland, 130. 
Henry ii. (Plantagenet), 140-1 ; and 

Thomas a Becket, 145-53 ; his con- 
quest of Ireland, 153-4. 
Henry iii. of Winchester, 179-88 : and 

Hubert de Burgh, 180-3; and Simon 

de Montfort, 186-8. 
Henry iv. (Bolingbroke), 243-51 : and 

Richard ii. 243-4 ; seizes the crown, 

245. 



520 



OUR ISLAND STORY 



Henry v. of Monmouth, 252 ; at Agin- 
court, 253-5 ; marries Catherine of 
France, 255. 

Henry vi. of Windsor, 257-74 ; his 
mysterious deatli, 275. 

Henry vii. of Richmond (Tudor), at 
Bosworth, 285 ; marries White Rose 
Princess, 286 ; 287-96. 

Henry viii., 296-312 : Defender of the 
Faith, 303 ; quarrels with the Pope, 
305 ; his six wives, 306-7, 309-11 ; 
destroys the monasteries, 311-2. 

Hereward the Wake, 118-20. 

Holyrood, Prince Charlie at, 426-7, 
429. 

Howard, Lord, and the Spanish Ar- 
mada, 340. 

Huhert de Burgh, the story of, 179-83. 

Hundred Years' War, begins, 212-3; 
ends, 261. 

* Huscarles,' King's bodyguard, 103. 

Ich dien (' I serve'), motto adopted by 

the Black Prince, 221. 
India, rise of British power in, 434-6. 
Inquisition, the Spanish, 321. 
Interdict, papal, forbidding religious 

services in England, 174, 176. 
Ipswich, 297. 
Ireland, divided into four kingdoms, 

153 ; conquest of, 153-4 ; Cromwell's 

cruelty in, 376-7 ; potato famine in, 

476. 
Ironsides, Cromwell's, 369, 376-7. 
Isle of Ely, Hereward the Wake in the, 

118-20. 

Jack Cade's Rebellion, 262. 

Jacobite rising, of 1715, 420-3 ; of 1745, 

425-32. 
Jacobites, why so called, 411. 
James i. of Scotland, his captivity, 

248, 258. 
James vi. of Scotland, i. of England 

(Stuart), 352-64. 
James ii. and vii., 394-407, 408, 410, 

413. 
Jane Seymour, wife of Henry viii., 

310. 
Jeffreys, Chief-Justice, 394, 399. 
Jenny Geddes, the story of, 364-6. 
Jessie's Dream at Lucknow, 497-8. 
John Balliol and the Scottish crown, 

200-2. 



John, King (Lackland), 154 ; his 
cruelty to Prince Arthur, 168-70, 
171-3 ; signs Magna Charta, 174-6. 

John of Gaunt, 234 ; ancestor of the 
House of Lancaster, 245. 

Joyce, Cornet, presents his 'commis- 
sion,' 370-1. 

Julius Agricola, 23. 

Julius Caesar, conquest of Britain, 5-9. 

Jutes and Angles, Saxon tribes, 58, 

Katherine of Arragon, 298, 299, 

305-7. 
Ket's Rebellion, 315-6. 
King and Parliament in the Civil War, 

364, 367-70. 
Kings who never ruled, 277, 433. 
Knights, King Arthur's gentle, 54-7. 

Lambert Simnel's Rebellion, 287-9. 
Lancaster, House of, descent of the, 

245, 268. 
Laud, Archbishop, 363, 367. 
Laws, English, first written in English, 

187. 
Light Brigade, Charge of the, 484-6. 
'Lion of Justice' (Henry Beauclerc), 

136. 
Lionel of Clarence, from whom House 

of York descends, 245. 
Little Douglas and Mary Queen of 

Scots, 834-6. 
Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, 197-9. 
Lollards, followers of Wycliffe, 303. 
London, Dutch attack on, 387 ; the 

Plague of, 388-9 ; Great Fire of, 

890-1. 
Londonderry, siege of, 408-10. 
Long Parliament, begins, 367 ; ends, 

383. 
Longchamps, William, 157. 
Lucknow, siege of, 496-9. 
Luther and the Reformation, 304-5. 

Macdonalp, Flora, the story of, 431- 
432. 

Magna Charta, the storv of, 174-6. 

Maid of Norway, the little, 200. 

Maid of Orleans, story of the, 259-61. 

Make-believe Princes, two, 287-94. 

Mar, Earl of, his ' hunting-party,' 420- 
422. 

Margaret of Anjou, 261, 265-7 ; adven- 
ture with the robbers, 270-1 ; 275, 



INDEX 



521 



Marlborough, Duke of, 415-6. 
Mary i. (' Bloody Mary '), 819-29. 
Mary Queen of Scots, her uuhappy 

story, 3oo-7. 
Matilda, the Pi-iucess, 137-40. 
Mayflower, the story of the, 359-61. 
Meerut, outbreak of Indian Mutiny at, 

492. 
Mercia, Ethelfleda, the Lady of, 77 
Merlin the Magician, 46-52, 57 ; his 

prophecy, 198. 
' Mistress of the Seas,' Britain under 

Cromwell becomes, 384. 
Monasteries, destruction of the, 311-2, 

314. 
Money, when it was first made round, 

198. 
Monk, General, brings back the King, 

385-6. 
Monmouth, 'King,' 395, 398-9. 
Montcalm at Quebec, 438, 440-1. 
More, Sir Thomas, 309. 
Mortimer, Edmund, Earl of March, 

245-6. 
Mutiny, the Indian, 491-9. 

Nana Sahib, how he kept faith, 493-4. 

Napoleon Bonaparte, the struggle 
against, 453-62. 

Naseby, battle of, 370. 

Nelson and Trafalgar, 455-7. 

Neptune, god of the sea, father of 
Albion, 1-8. 

New Forest, made by William the 
Conqueror, 122. 

New Zealand, settlement of, 505-8. 

Nightingale, Florence, and the wounded 
soldiers, 482-3. 

Normans, their first coming to Eng- 
land, 88-9 ; their cruelty after the 
Conquest, 121-2, 188. 

Normandy, England's loss of, a bless- 
ing, 177. 

North-West Passage, the, 487-90. 

Northumberland, Duke of, 316-8 ; his 
rebellion, 819-20. 

Oak of Reformation, 315-6. 

Osburga, mother of King Alfred, 65-7. 

Owen Glendower's Rebellion, 246-7. 

Parliament, the ' Father ' of the 
English. 188 ; growth of its power, 
232 ; struggle with the Army, 370-3, 



386 ; first meeting of the British, 418 ; 

union with the Irish, 454 ; reform 

of, 467-9. 
Peel, Sir Robert, 476. 
Peninsular War, 459. 
Perkin Warbeck's Rebellion, 290-4. 
Peter the Hermit, 155. 
Philip of Spain (husband of Mary i.)j 

320, 327, 329, 338-9, 341. 
Philippa, Queen, pleads for the citizens 

of Calais, 228. 
Picts and Scots overrun England, 32 ; 

driven back, 37. 
Piers Gaveston, 204-5. 
Pilgrim Fathers, the, 859-61. 
' Pilgrimage of Grace,' the, 812. 
Pitt, William (Earl of Chatham), 437, 

442-4, 447. 
Pitt, William, the Younger, 453. 
Plautagenet {planta genista, or broom), 

187. 
Plassey, battle of, 436. 
Poitiers, battle of, 230-1. 
Poll-tax, what it means, 234. 
Pope claims to rule the English Church, 

147, 303, 309. 
Potatoes brought from America by 

Raleigh, 344. 
Prestonpans, battle of, 427-8. 
Pretender, the Old, 414, 422. 
Pride's Purge, 373. 
Priests and clergy not subject to civil 

courts, 148. 
Prince Hal (Henry v.), 247; sent to 

prison, 249-50 ; tries on his father's 

crown, 250-1. 
Princes, the Little, in the Tower, 283-4. 
Printing, discovery of, 295. 
Protestant, what the word means, 304. 
' Protestant East Wind,' the, 406. 
Provost-marshal, story of the, and the 

Mayor of Bodmin, 314-5. 
Puritans, the, 358, 359, 364, 385. 

Quebec, the storming of, 438-41. 
Queen Margaret and the robbers, 270- 

271. 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 342-5. 

Randolph, Earl of Moray, at Bannock- 
burn, 206. 

Red Cross, what it means, 483-4. 

Red Rose Prince marries White Rose 
Princess, 286. 



522 



OUR ISLAND STORY 



Reformation, its meaning, 304 ; 305, 

311-14, 317, 328-9. 
Revolution of 1688, 405-7. 
Richard i. (Coeur de Lion), the story 

of, 155-67. 
Richard ii. of Bordeaux, 234-41 ; how 

he lost the crown, 242-4. 
Richard iii. (Duke of Gloucester), 275- 

282 ; and the little Princes, 277-84 ; 

death of, at Bosworth, 285. 
Richard, Duke of York (Protector), 

263-4 ; claims the crown, 265-6 ; 

taken prisoner, mocked at, and 

executed, 267. 
Ridley and Latimer burned at Oxford, 

328. 
Robert the Bruce and Bohun, 207-8 ; 

at Bannockburu, 209-11. 
Robin Hood, the story of, 157-8. 
Romans, coming of the, 5-9 ; Britain 

given up by, 24; their influence, 25. 
Roses, Wars of the, 263-85 : cause, 

263 ; final victory of the House of 

Lancaster, 285 ; their effect, 294. 
Round Table, founded, 54-7 ; why it 

was made round, 55-7. 
Rowena marries Vortigern, 39, 40 ; 

brings back the Saxons, 41. 
Rump Parliament begins, 373 ; ends, 

382-3. 
Ruunymede, the Great Charter signed 

at, 175. 

St. Albans, 19, 26, 30; battle of, 

264-5. 
St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, 365, 

366. 
Saladin, Richard Cceur de Lion and, 

159. 
Salisbury Plain, massacre of Britons 

on, 42, 43. 
Samothea, ancient name for Britain, 3. 
'Sanctuary,' taking, what it meant, 

180-1. 
Saxons, the coming of the, 36-39 ; 

driven out, 40 ; they return, 41 ; 

conquer Britain, 58-9. 
Scottish Crown, Edward i. and the 

claimants to the, 200-1. 
Sebastopol, siege of, 481, 486. 
Sedgemoor, the last battle fought on 

English soil, 398-9. 
Senlac Hill, Harold's army encamp at, 

110. 



Sepoys and the greased cartridges, the, 

491-2. 
Seven Bishops, the story of the, 400-4. 
Seven kingdoms of Britain, the, 59. 
Sheriffmuir, the drawn battle of, 421. 
Shrewsbury, battle of, 247. 
Sidney, Sir Philip, the death of, 345. 
Simon de Montfort, the story of, 186-8. 
' Singeing the King of Spain's beard,' 

338. 
Slaves, the freeing of the, 469-70. 
Sluys, the battle of, 213-4. 
Somerset, the Lord Protector, 313, 

315-6. 
'Sons of Liberty,' the, 444. 
South Africa, Dutch and British in, 

509-12. 
Spanish Succession, War of the, 414-5. 
Speaker, the, his courage before 

Charles i., 367-8. 
Spinning Wheel, the story of the, 448- 

51. 
Stamford Bridge, battle of, 102-7. 
Standard, battle of the, 138, 139. 
Steam, the discovery of, 452. 
Stephen, King, the story of, 137-40. 
Stephen Langdon and the Great 

Charter, 171-5. 
Stocks, the, an old-time punishment, 

293-4. 
Stone of Destiny, the, 201-2. 
Stonehenge, legend of the monuments 

at, 48-9. 
Sweyn of Denmark, conquers Eng- 
land, 82. 
Sydney founded by convicts, 501. 

Taillefer the Minstrel at battle of 

Hastings, 111-2. 
Taunton, King Monmouth proclaimed 

at, 398. 
Thomas a Becket, the story of, 145-51. 
Tobacco brought from Amei-ica by 

Raleigh, 344. 
Torbay, landing of William iii, at, 406. 
Tournament (mock battle), 193. 
Towton, the terrible battle of, 269. 
Trading with Britain forbidden by 

Napoleon, 459. 
Trafalgar, battle of, 455-8, 
Traitors' Gate, the. Queen Elizabeth 

at, 324 ; the Seven Bishops at, 403. 
Trial by jury established by King 

Alfred, 75. 



INDEX 



523 



Triple Alliance, the, of Holland, 
Sweden, and England against 
France, 391-2. 

Triumph, Caractacus in a Roman, 16. 

Tyrrell, Walter, the archer, 12(J-8. 

Ujtlandkrs of the Transvaal, 610. 

Union Jack, how the flag was made, 
and why it is so called, 416. 

Union, of the Crowns, 352-8 ; of the 
Parliaments of England and Scot- 
land, 416-8; of the Irish with the 
British Parliament, 454. 

Uther Pendragon, 35, 43-4 ; his fame, 
49-50. 

Utrecht, Peace of, 415. 

Van Tkomp hoists a broom to his mast- 
head, 381. 

Vereeniging, treaty of, between Boers 
and British, 511-2. 

Verulamium (St. Albans), 19, 26. 

Victoria, Queen, 472-514 : her call to 
the throne, 471-2. 

Virginia named after Queen Elizabeth, 
343. 

Vortigern, British King, 33-5; brings 
in the Saxons, 36-7 ; burned in his 
castle, 44. 

Vortimer, British King, 40, 41. 

AVales, story of the first Prince of, 
197-9. 

Walker, the brave clergyman of Lon- 
donderry, 409. 

Wallingford, Peace of, 140. 

Walpole, the 'peace minister,' 424-5. 

Waltliam Abbey, 113. 



Warwick the King-maker, 270-2 ; de- 
poses Edward iv., 278; killed at 
Barnet, 274-5. 

AVashington, George, 445. 

Wat Tyler's Rebellion, 234-41. 

\Vedmore, Peace of, 74. 

AVellington, Duke of, 459 ; at Water- 
loo, 460-1 ; 465. 

Wessex, King of, becomes King of 
England, 65. 

Westminster, Peace of, 392. 

Westminster Abbey founded, 92. 

AA^estminster Hall, trial of Charles i. 
in, 374. 

' White Rose of England,' 291, 293. 

White Ship, the story of the, 131-5. 

Whitehall, execution of Charles i. at, 
874-5. 

William i. of Normandy (the Con- 
queror), 90, 92 ; prepares to invade 
England, 97-101 ; the Conquest, 
108-120 ; his death, 128-4. 

William ii. (' Rufus'), seizes his dying 
father's ring, 124; 125-6; death 
while hunting, 126-8. 

William iii. (the Deliverer) and Mary 
II., the story of the 'Glorious Revo- 
lution,' 405-14. 

William iv. (the 'Sailor King'), 465-70. 

' Wisest fool in Christendom,' 853. 

\V'olfe, General James, at the storming 
of Quebec, 438-40. 

Wolsey, Cardinal, his rise, 296-7 ; and 
fall, 807-8. 

Worcester, battle of, Cromwell's 
'crowning mercy,' 377. 

Wycliffe, John, 303. 

York, House of, descent from Lionel 
of Clarence, 245, 263. 



Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty 
at the Edinburgh University Press 



^^ 



<* 



